More or Less
by flameygirl21
Summary: Matthew Williams is going to college with his brother Alfred. It seems to be alright for two seconds before Matthew is stuck with some psyco guy named Ivan Braginski as a room-mate. RusCan and mentioning of USUK and many more to come. Sorry no longer updating!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters or any other copyright material mentioned, so don't sue me!_

~;~

"'_Cause Canada's really big~! We're the second~ Largest country~! –"_

I pressed a button on my phone which cut off the song in which it played and I set it back down on my night table. My eyes were still stubbornly closed, but I felt around for my glasses anyways, ignoring the protests in my heavy limbs. My fingertips brushed against the wire of my glasses and I pushed them up onto my nose, opening my eyes slowly. The sun hadn't even risen yet, but the sky in the distance glowed with the crack of dawn.

My room was cast in dying shadows, the painted red walls dull with the gloom. Posters of hockey players were tacked up on them along with a Canadian flag that hung over my head. Boxes were stacked in the corner of the room, full of possessions such as clothes, more posters, etc. I yawned widely and stretched my arms out toward the ceiling, my back arching back to get rid of annoying cricks in my spine. Running a hand through my wavy and unruly blonde hair, I rolled out of bed. I narrowly missed a sleeping polar bear cub that was sprawled out on the floor next to my bed. The cub made a whine in protest as my foot grazed against his rear and twisted around to look up at me with curious little black eyes.

"Good morning Kumachi," I whispered as smiling warmly down at him.

"Who are you?" The animal asked as turning his head to one side.

"Um, Canada . . ."

"What?"

"The one who feeds you."

"Oh."

I chuckled softly and tickled him behind the ears with my toes. The cub and I have been close friends as long as I can remember, despite the fact that we can never remember each other's name. I know it starts with Kuma- . . . oh! His name is Kumajirou! Yes, I finally remember. I stood up and shuffled to my closet that stood next to my nightstand and snatched the first shirt I saw and scrambled out. I then grabbed a pair of jeans from the drawers of my small dresser and a pair of clean boxers before throwing them on. Looking down to inspect myself, I had randomly chosen my Harry Potter T-Shirt that my brother, Alfred, had gotten me for my birthday last year. It was red and had the Gryffindor symbol printed on the front.

I smiled a bit, personally loving the Harry Potter thing, but I then scooped up Kuma – _Maple! _I forgot what his name was! Ah to_ l'enfer_ with it, _my bear _and walked down the hall to the bathroom. I set the polar bear cub on the marble counter top and grabbed a comb and ran it through my hair. I smiled as it ran through the wild loop-de-loop hair thing that sprung out directly from my bangs. Simple-mindedly, I ran it through the curl several more times before putting the comb away and brushing my teeth thoroughly. I picked up my friend once again and left the bathroom and went to the kitchen.

I finally noticed the sleepy silence that enveloped the home as I stepped into the dark kitchen. Granite countertops were pushed up against the far walls and a single island stood in the middle; appliances carefully fitted in between the surfaces. Nobody except for me and Kuma were awake and I decided to make breakfast for everyone. I set the bear down on the island and reached up into the cabinets and collected scratch ingredients. I heard the skitter of Kuma's claws against the glossy surface of the island and I poured the ingredients that overflowed in my arms and started to mix them together, making a thick buttery yellow batter.

I turned on the stove and greased the pan before pouring the batter onto the heated cooking pan. The pancakes steadily stacked up onto three different plates, three piled up strategically on each other and all natural maple syrup poured on top. I frowned when I noticed that still no one was up and I set the table quietly and went back down the hall. I opened the door that was decorated with many patriotic things such as Uncle Sam posters, American flags, and UFOs. Stepping in the dark room, I crept cautiously toward the sleeping figure that was hidden under mountains of sheets.

I prodded the mound gently and immediately regretted it. A loud yell rang out and then there was a small and comical _pop_! Something hit me square in the forehead and I yelped, stumbling back a few steps. "Que diable, c'est que pour ça!" I cried as removing a foam Nerf bullet from my forehead and glared at my brother who was clutching his precious Nerf gun with white knuckles.

"Get away from me you zombie!" He shouted as cocking it again.

"What did I tell you about those zombie movies, Alfred!" I groaned as slapping my forehead.

Reaching out to take the gun, I was shot again in the face and then pounced on. Alfred started to shoot me repeatedly and I was squirming underneath him, screaming obscenities in French. "What in the bloody hell are you boys doing in here?" Arthur stopped his attack and I froze too, throwing my head back to look at the British man who stood in his pajamas (which was a simple white T-shirt and UK boxers), tapping his foot impatiently in the doorway. "Hey Iggy! I was just trying to kill this zombie," Alfred said simply as if it were the most normal thing to say.

I smacked my head the second time. "I'm not a merde zombie!" I shouted, but they didn't seem to hear me.

Arthur shook his head. "Alfred, what have I told you about watching zombie movies before bed?"

Alfred snorted. "I can watch whatever I want whenever I want," Childishly, my older brother stuck out his tongue at his elder brother.

The Brit rolled his emerald green eyes and crossed his arms. I growled irritably and looked back up at my brother, blood rushed to my face as I realized the awkward position we were in. My hands were clenched on his shoulder and he was practically straddling me and had eased back dangerously close to . . . my er . . . _nether regions._ England was about to walk away until he did a double take, his bushy eyebrows furrowing in question. "I must be mistaken, but America; it seems that there are two of you."

"Huh?" Alfred grunted as looking down at me with narrowed brilliant blue eyes. "Who are you?"

I opened my mouth the respond, be he cut in with a gasp and scrambled away. "Y-You're . . . from the future!"

"What?"

"Oh my god! You are aren't you?"

"No! I'm your little brother! Ya know, Canada. The land of hockey and maple syrup?"

"Who?"

"Oh my maple-hockey! How can I be clearer? Ca-na-da! Canada!"

I felt my blood boil under my skin at dangerously high temperatures. "Oh! I know now!" Arthur cried from the doorway. "You're Canada! Oh excuse me Matthew! I am terribly sorry!" I sighed in relief and wriggled out from underneath my elder brother to face him properly. "Its fine, I'm used to it I suppose," I said, smiling. "Now let's go eat breakfast ."

America cheered heartily and dashed past me and Arthur to the breakfast table. Arthur muttered something and ran a hand through his semi-messy hair and followed the boy out to the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and sat down at the table to eat my heavenly pancakes. Alfred was already there happily eating the pancakes at a very fast pace unlike a normal human being. I found Kuma passed out underneath my chair and lugged him up into my lap.

Arthur eased himself down in the chair between me and Alfred with a cup of tea held in his fingers. Pride swelled in my chest at the gleeful look on the Brit's face and the anger that had once pounded in my head vanished. I finished my meal and dumped the plate into the sink and sat back down at the table, mooshing Kuma deeper in my grasp. He was just so squishy! I felt his wet little tongue rasp against the back of my hand and I set him down as Arthur stood to clean the dishes. "You boys go on ahead and start loading the car while I wash the dishes." I nodded and went to my room to gather my things with my brother following behind.

I picked up four boxes that teetered precariously on top of each other and I had to crane my neck at an awkward angle just to see where I was going. Squeezing out the front door, I opened the trunk of our car with my foot. The car was an old Cadillac and it was crudely painted a deep royal blue. On the hood there were thirteen red and white stripes running vertical against it and a rectangular patch of blue was left in the upper right-hand side when you look at it. Fifty drippy white stars were crammed in the lopsided blue space. This was the work of my brother when he was 15. Let's just say England was not happy at all. Oh yeah, I believe that I forgot to mention that we are being kicked out and shipped off to college to put it bluntly. I shoved the boxes into the space and went back inside to grab the rest of my stuff. I made my bed neatly and said a silent goodbye to my room for I won't see it again until Christmas. Kuma lumbered in quietly and pawed at my jeans gently and I gathered him up in my arms again as I was tying the laces of my old red sneakers. I was almost run over by my brother as he marched down the hall to get his bag as well.

He gave me a warm smile and I looked at him with narrowed eyes. I was not over with him shooting me with a toy gun. His smile faltered and orphan blue eyes looked at me apologetically. "Yeah, sorry about that whole thinking you were a zombie thing. Maybe I really should lay off the zombie movies," Alfred smacked me on the shoulder roughly and laughed rather loudly but good-naturedly. I chuckled softly and playfully punched him on the cheek. "Please do," I muttered simply before heading off with my duffel bag slung over one shoulder.

"Alfred, why must you be so bloody slow?" Arthur snapped as following his little brother down the hall.

"I'm not sure if you noticed this yet Iggy, but I'm not much of a mornin' person." Alfred grumbled. If there one thing that you should know about my big brother America is that he does not enjoy being told what to do or be pushed around. He is more like of an independent person. Arthur and Alfred are not my real brothers, Arthur found America and (according to Arthur) I was found a month or two after Arthur. I don't believe him because I have a faint memory of someone else holding me before I even met Arthur. I remember kind, lovey-dovey, blue eyes that watched me and longish blonde hair that I liked to play with because it was wavy and soft. I also remember that this person had sung me a lullaby that had burned into my mind to this very day.

I hum it constantly and sometimes I attempt to remember the words and sing it, but I can never remember. I shrugged off the strap of the duffel bag and threw it into the cramped back seat of the car and set Kuma in the middle. The gray interior was worn, stained, and dusty with lots of memories such as when America had almost made England wreck on the highway because he claimed to have seen a ghost and was freaking out. Many people would rather be strapped to the hood than try to fit in the back of our car, but I have been in that back seat ever since we got the car so I'm used to my knees being in my face.

I squeezed myself into the seat next to my bear who had flopped down lazily face-first into the familiar seat. I sat there in the silence of the car besides the faint snores of the cub which passed out for the third or fourth time this morning. About five or so minutes later I saw Iggy and Alfred storm out the door with their usual argument of how immature Alfred was and how bossy Iggy was. I know that Arthur does not mean to be bossy; he just wants Alfred to grow up to be a strong nation. But Alfred is stubborn and as I had said before he does not enjoy being bossed around so it's hard to reason with him half the time.

Their argument ended when they had a long stare down and Arthur looked away to get into the driver's seat. A victorious smile stretched across the dirty blonde's face and he strutted to the car and jumped in, making the car sway a little. Arthur said nothing and stiffly stuck the key into the ignition and turned it slowly to where the car putted to life. I felt the vibrations of the growling motor buzz in the seat and heard the quiet drone of the radio. Immediately, Alfred's hand shot to the controls of the radio and tuned in to his favorite channel and then cranked it up as loud as it could go. I sighed deeply, but I couldn't hear over the blast of strums of an electric guitar.

My stomach plummeted when I recognized the voice that began singing in a high octave. _Maple_, it was America's favorite song.

"_You think I'm pretty~ without any makeup on~! You think I'm funny~ when I tell the punch-line wrong~"_

I buried my face in my hands and whined. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry isn't a bad song it's just bad when my brother sings along to it. It's just bad. Scrambling, I ripped open my duffel bag and fished out my iPod and shoved the ear buds into my ears and randomly picked a song and cranked it up so I couldn't hear my brother screech. I shifted around a bit as Arthur backed out of the paved driveway and drove toward our doom. See, I am considered a little wimpy nerd that is pushed around a lot. The last part is true, but to be honest, I'm not much of a wimp. I'm not saying that I'm the strongest person in the world or the most confident; I just don't take people's crap to a certain point.

I'm not sure if it's healthy to keep my anger bottled up, but I just don't like being angry. It's just an ugly feeling that just brings down everyone around you, just like sadness but without the aggression. I lazily watched the world zoom by at a steady pace as my mind was consumed by the blaring music in my ears. Kuma squirmed around next to me in his dreams and I rested my hand on the coarse, thick fur of his scruff and scratched it absently.

I cast a careless look over at my brother, who was dancing around in the front seat violently and singing horribly. He wore his trusty brown leather jacket that had the number 50 in big white squared letters on the back and a graphic T-shirt that was splashed with his patriotic colors that he adored so much. His squared glasses lenses were gleaming in the faint morning light and the light hid his big blue eyes that were always bright and smiling.

Sometimes I absolutely hate my brother. He is self-absorbed and arrogant and loud, it makes me want to rip out my hair sometimes. I pity Arthur because he is responsible for him and America tends to get in a lot of trouble if you don't watch him closely. But there are times where we all get along. We can go through a whole meal without killing each other sometimes, such as this morning. We joke around and rough-house all the time and its great until you break Arthur's vase that China gave him for Christmas so long ago.

It only seemed to be 15 minutes when the car was parked in a concrete parking garage. I blinked and put my iPod back into the bag and nudged Kuma gently. "C'mon Kumachino, we're here," I mumbled. That almost sounds like a kind of coffee. The little cub looked up me with those little curious black eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Canada, the guy who feeds you."

"Ohhhhh~!"

I rolled my eyes and went through the long and difficult process of getting out of the back seat. England had got out on the same side and when I was about to walk around to get my stuff, he stopped me. "Um, pardon me sir, but why were you in my car?" Uhg, its time re-introduce myself. "Uh, I'm Canada. You know, America's little brother, Matthew," I muttered rather awkwardly. His bushy eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and I groaned hopelessly.

"Hey Mattie! When did you get here?" I heard Alfred call as he ruffled my hair from behind.

"Er, I rode here with you guys. Don't you remember?"

"Uhhhhhh . . . Oh yeah! You did, didn't you?"

"Yeah, good job." I said enthusiastically as patting him on the head like a dog he was a dog. Alfred smiled at me and went around to the back to get the boxes out. Sighing slightly, I slung the strap of my bag over one shoulder and placed Kuma on top of it so I could have two free hands to carry boxes. I took the last two that were left in the back and followed my brothers up the levels of the parking garage. Surprisingly, the two hadn't said a word to each other the whole way up. They must be doing the silent treatment- this wasn't anything new.

I didn't dare to speak, afraid that it will only bring more bickering. This was our last day to see Iggy and I don't want to spoil it, even though I have nothing to do with it. We stepped out into the sunshine of the early morning and I couldn't help but make a small gasp. The building looked like the whole world's architectural invention threw up all over it. Elegant arches were decorated with gothic gargoyles and great pillars stood proudly out in front; even a pyramid stood proudly on the top. There were two equally tall buildings that I assumed were dormitories, branched off the main campus and were tilted inward toward each other.

Alfred merely scoffed at the building and said that it looked boring. I saw Iggy's cheeks flush red but just snapped at him to hold his tongue. "I think it looks beautiful, Iggy," I muttered in my quiet soft-spoken voice. The eldest boy looked back at me with a thankful look. "Indeed it is, Matthew," He said simply before setting off down the sidewalk that led to the grand courtyard which was occupied by some other students who had arrived earlier than us. I longed to join the students in lounging about in the cool green grass and watch the clouds roll by in the warm summer breeze.

There was a sudden dull smacking sound and I snapped my attention to my brothers to see them glaring at each other. "What was that for?" Alfred cried, rubbing his bicep. "Just try to keep it in your bloody pants!" Arthur snapped before storming off ahead furiously. The American muttered censored insults under his breath as we followed him at a four foot radius, as if we were avoiding the Englishmen's anger. I simply rolled my eyes and walked down the path toward the great, bronze front door.

I recognized a few people who went to high-school with me, most of them I was not on good relations with. Some of them ignored me or shot dagger-like glares at me and I scurried closer to my brother, careful not to stray too far. "Iggo! Do ya have our schedules and all that other shit?" America called out, jogging up to Arthur. I saw him cringe at Alfred's English but simply replied, "Yes, I have them in my back pocket."

I saw a faint smirk play at the American's lips and he shifted the boxes to one arm and he thrust his hand into his back pocket and fished out the papers that were neatly folded into fourths. I saw England's face flush a deep shade of red and he gave Alfred a seething look. "W-What – W-Why – Bloody hell America! Do you have to be such a frog?" But the other boy wasn't listening; instead he was scanning the papers with deep interest. "Here's your papers, Mattie," He muttered, holding out two crumpled pieces of paper. I took them awkwardly from under the boxes I carried and shoved them carelessly into the front pocket of my jeans.

We took a right toward a dormitory building that was made of the same white stone, but looked like a mere apartment building with rows of little windows and balconies. "Hey Iggo, are me and Mattie gonna share a dorm?" The Englishmen shook his head solemnly. "No, sorry lads. I couldn't get you two in the same rooms. You have to share with someone else."

Wonderful.

Hopefully it isn't some idiot who will harass me every second of my life. We arrived in a great hall that had a high, cathedral-like ceiling that was supported by a single pillar. Its diameter must've been around six or so feet and it was decorated with ancient writings of all languages and pictures of many cultures. The writing was crammed on it so there was room for the engraved pictures and it made it virtually impossible to read them. I admired them for a few moments before trotting back to my brothers. We walked down a hall that had more pictures and old, worn tapestries hung on the stone white walls and there were Roman sculptures standing proudly along the edge.

I noticed that the sculptures were not very clean. They were smudged with indistinctive colors mainly around the top of their lips and eyes and I assumed that some students had painted on them. How mature. I simply rolled my eyes and saw that Alfred had noticed had a mischievous look on his face.

"Do it Alfred and I'll beat you with my hockey stick," I muttered darkly, shooting him a threatening glare. But he only chuckled at me and followed Iggy down the hall. I wonder who my roomie will be. I hope it is nobody. I hope they had to transfer to another college at the last minute and Alfred could move to my dorm. See, I'm kind of dependent on my brother because he sticks up for me and he always has my back. I know I should start sticking up for myself, but I don't have much of a backbone to do so.

I gave my brother a worried look, but he didn't seem to notice because a few girls passed by and he was going all googly eye on them. I rolled my eyes at him and decided to admire the art on the other side of the room. I am not at all very into girls like Alfred is. Wait no, scratch that. I am not at all very in to girls or _guys _like Alfred. All I'm saying is that he's not picky. I don't mind either of them, they both have their pros and cons, but I'm just not interested in a relationship right now. I'm focusing on becoming stronger as a nation and as a person and that's all. I do not need someone to keep me distracted.

I was brought out of my reverie when Arthur started talking to Alfred. We had magically appeared in a hall that was no longer decorated with the arts, but doors lined the walls on both sides, around four or five feet apart. There were few people here in the hall and I already recognized some of the students. At the end of the hall, I saw the two Italian brothers, Romano and Feliciano, taking boxes into their dorm. Japan was peering out of his door shyly and Switzerland and Germany were in deep conversation.

I did a double take when I saw Germany and I immediately knew that Prussia was close by. Gilbert is one of my best friends from high-school and has almost been a third older brother to me. When I was about to go over and talk to Ludwig, my eyes were covered by slender pale hands and I froze. "Guess who Birdie~!" A voice sniggered behind me. "Gilbert!" I shook free from his hold and gave him an awkward hug around the boxes. I heard Prussia mutter something that sounded like, "Watch the nipples Birdie." "What are you doing here? I thought you said that 'College is un-awesome.'" I said, smiling widely at the albino in front of me.

Gilbert was wearing a leaf green T-shirt that had bold white print that declared loudly, "_I AM MORE AWESOME THAN YOU WILL EVER BE" _and old tattered jeans. His ruby red eyes were smiling down at me and he ruffled my hair roughly. "Well, I decided to join you through this second level of hell because I am just an awesome friend like that," He cackled. I laughed and ruffled his spider silk white hair in return. "Well, I gotta go unpack and I'll talk to you later Gil," I called as I walked after my brothers. "Okay, the awesome me will be waiting!"

The moment I caught up with them, Arthur stopped and turned to Alfred. "This will be your room America. You be on your best behavior or I'll make sure you never eat another hamburger ever again." I could've sworn I saw tears well up in Alfred's eyes when Iggy said that. The American gave a wavering smile and pecked the Englishmen on the cheek. "Okay, see you at Christmas Britain," He said winking at the already blushing man in front of him before disappearing into his room.

Arthur touched his cheek lightly, staring at the closed door with a shocked look. "Er, England?" I whispered, prodding his arm. "Oh! Sorry Canada, I was just - . . ." He cut off and pointed at the door that was across from America's. "That's your dorm. Please keep an eye on America and be good." I nodded at him and gave him a brotherly one-armed goodbye hug. "See you later Iggy," I murmured into his jacket. We untangled our arms and the blonde gently patted my head before disappearing down that hall without another word.

My indigo eyes watched the hall in which my elder brother had disappeared and I felt a bit abandoned. I will no longer go back home to an angry Brit that would yell at me, again mistaking me for America, and continued to smack me upside the head until I convinced him that I was Canada. I would also miss our meals together and having to take over the cooking for Arthur (who is a terrible cook). Hell, I would even miss the quarrels between my two older brothers.

Sighing, I opened the door with my elbow and stepped into the room. The dorm was very small, considering that it had things such as tiny kitchen-ish area and the bunk-beds were all crammed in the room. The walls were a simple white and had nothing placed upon them except for a framed notice of the school rules. It seemed that someone had already moved in the room. The bottom bunk was already claimed with communist gray sheets neatly made on the mattress. Dear god, did I really just say 'communist gray'? That sounds like something Alfred would say. But never-mind that, moving on. Clothes were abandoned on the bed and I felt a sudden urge to put them away, but I restrained myself with great difficulty.

I set my boxes on the small surface that sat against the wall of the kitchen-like space and carefully picked Kuma up from his bed on my duffel bag and set him next to the boxes. The little bear whined a bit and resituated himself before drifting back off into his dreams once more. I rolled my eyes and set my bag on the floor and began to put away my clothes in a tiny dresser that sat next to the beds and so on. When I unpacked my last possession, I heard the door click open and I almost dropped my school books on my feet. In the doorway was a menacing giant that frowned a bit at me.

The giant filled the whole doorway and an old worn scarf was wrapped around his neck. He had very fair blonde hair and big curious red-violet eyes that looked me up and down. He wore a simple gray sweater and jeans and I could see the piled muscles of his chest and the strong arms that could easily tie me into a knot three times. I gulped at his menacing appearance but tried not to look too scared. "Er . . ." I whispered shyly as setting my books down into my book bag. "M-My name is Matthew Williams. I'm guessing that we're room-mates?" The boy smiled at me childishly, but I'm sure if it was meaning to be friendly. "I'm Ivan Braginski and if you piss me off you will find yourself beaten to a bloody pulp and begging for mercy." He smiled widely at me before shooting me a malicious glare, the curiosity vanishing from his big eyes. "But, I'm serious. I'm going to start things off by saying that we are not buddies and we are merely just sharing a room. You mind your own business and you'll make it through the year alive more or less," Ivan turned his back on me as if he was leaving.

"But if you fail to stay out of my way, you will be sorry." Then he left.

I blinked in astonishment and stared at the doorway in which he was standing in just a moment ago. Sweet mother of maple please let me come out of this alive.

More or less.

~;~

_A/N: Well, there's the first chapter. I'm sorry if my depiction of college is inaccurate because I have not been to college yet and please don't badger me about it. The rating may change later on in the story, but I am not so sure yet. Plus I am also writing this out of sheer entertainment, not sure why you need to know this. I am also trying to cope with writing with other characters so I'm going to try and cram in as many Hetalia characters I can. Also there may be long stretches between updates because I'm trying to make my chapters longer so you all can be satisfied. I am not very happy with the humor in this but I honestly do not care right now. But now I'm rambling so I'll just leave . . ._

_REVIEW AND YOU WILL MY FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WORLD! _


	2. Chapter 2

"What? You're roomies with _Ivan!_"

I sighed and leaned back on my elbows in the grass next to Gilbert who was fuming and cursing loudly. "Sadly yes," I muttered glumly. "Hey bro! Who're ya stuck with?" America plopped down next to me and Gilbert and I gave my brother a tired look. "He's stuck with that asshole Ivan," Prussia cut in angrily, his red eyes flaming with rage. "What! You gotta be shittin' me!" Alfred cried in his ridiculously loud voice. "Birdie, if he even touches you I swear I'll beat his un-awesome little ass 'till he can't walk for a month!" Gilbert gripped my shoulder and punched the air in emphasis of his words.

"Thanks Gil, but I should be fine," I smiled as brushing his hand off my shoulder. The albino boy just shook his head furiously. "No Birdie, you don't understand. The guy will find a way to beat you senseless even if you do whatever he says! So just call on me and I'll beat him toothless because –"

"You're just awesome like that."

"Now you're catching on Birdie."

I heaved another sigh and tilted my head up towards the sky as Alfred and Gilbert continued to talk about Ivan. I don't know how they knew so much about him because I do not remember ever seeing him in school. I have only been here for about an hour and I'm already screwed. I tickled Kuma's belly absently as I watched the clouds roll by lazily. The sidewalks were beginning to get crowded with students and I was glad that we came here earlier because I would've died in that mess. A small grin was painted on my lips as a smooth breeze rolled by and made the grass rustle despite the uproar from the crowd of students.

Kuma wriggled around like a fish out of water in his dream and his paw smacked me in the nose softly and I chuckled softly and patted his bloated stomach. I gave a sideways glance over at Gilbert who was still talking with my brother and I watched them rant about my roomie furiously and continued to tell me that they would personally kick the Russian's butt if he ever touches me.

I just rolled my eyes at them and sat back up. "Guys," I said, holding my hands up to silence them but they took it as an invitation to raise the volume in their rant. "_Hey! Shut up!"_ I cried and shook them. They immediately stopped yelling and looked at me, their looks a bit worried and shocked that I had raised my voice to them. I flushed a bit with them staring at me so intently and I stumbled over my words. "Y-You guys r-really don't need t-to . . . I'll b-be fi-fine . . ." I gave them a wavering smile and Alfred affectionately wrapped an arm across my shoulders and squeezed me. Prussia patted my head and gave me his trademark up-to-no-good smirk of his.

"_Freshman students, please report to the auditorium. Freshman students, please report to the auditorium."_

My friends released me and Alfred helped me up while Prussia scooped Kuma up and threw the squirming bear over his shoulder. The three of us shuffled along the path to the main campus and I spotted a few more people I knew. Hungary was laughing with Austria, Sweden was holding his "wife" Finland close to him, and Turkey and Greece were arguing over a flustered looking Japan.

I was suddenly thrown almost bodily into a boy in front of me, sending us both sprawling to the ground. I yelped in surprise and the boy landed painfully on his arms and I scraped the palm of my left hand against the concrete pretty badly. I cringed in the biting pain but looked up to see amused red-violet eyes looking down at me and it made my spine tremor violently. Ivan was standing over me with his creepy childish grin present on his face and I scowled at him. "Oops, I didn't see you there," He said innocently and swept past, stepping on my fingers in the process. I winced and bit my tongue to resist against a scream of pain as it rang in bone-splintering vibrations.

Prussia looked as though he was about to explode and Alfred was already turning to follow the giant. "No Alfred, let him go," I growled and pulling myself up. My palm stung and the skin on it was peeled back and showed off bleeding tissue and imagined myself shooting the asshole in the face. I turned my attention to the boy who was still groaning on the concrete and I pulled him up, apologizing sincerely. "I'm alright," The boy said as rubbing his elbows as if he were massaging the pain away.

I nodded at him and turned back to my friends before apologizing again. "That mother –"Prussia was cut off by an outraged Alfred. "Are you out of your damn mind? Why did you let him go?" We again joined the flow of students and continued our trek to the main building. "Just don't do anything, forget it," I said irritably and glowered at the concrete. "Damn Birdie! Your hand is bleeding!" Hands snatched for my bleeding palm but I pulled away and shot a look at Gilbert who was struggling against a snarling and bristling bear cub. "I'm fine! Just leave me be! I'm not completely helpless ya know," I snapped at them before storming off into the crowd.

For some odd reason I was feeling impatient with my friend being so concerned. It was already getting on my nerves and it hadn't even been a day. I may not have a backbone but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I snarled furiously at the blood that began to drip off my fingers and shoved my hand into my jeans pocket, wincing at the sharp sting of pain of the wound being pressed against worn cloth. Ivan can do whatever he wanted with me but I will not show submission to him. This is my issue, not Alfred's and not Gil's. I stepped across the threshold of the school and looked up at the great domed ceiling and many artifacts were hung there.

Old battle planes were retired to the luxury of being shown off to the world and colorful Chinese festival dragons were snaking their way up into the ceiling. I noticed that at the far end of the room, all the world's flags were hung on their individual flagpoles and hung limp. I spotted my flag and smiled slightly and saw a stuffed full grown polar bear standing full height and roaring ferociously. Next, I spotted the American flag and a stuffed bald eagle was hanging above it with its great talons outstretched and its glossy brown wings pulled back as if it were going to make a powerful flap to propel itself back into the sky. Prussia's flag hung over a majestic lion that watched the students pass by with black marble eyes and its great mane was the color of wildfire.

My eyes were drawn to a large flag that had thick horizontal white, red, and blue stripes. I recognized it as the Russian flag and below it was a large brown bear that had small beady eyes and powerful legs and deadly claws meant for ripping unsuspecting prey to shreds. It looked like a grizzly but it was much too fluffy and bloated for one. Racking through my mind, I classified the animal as a Russian brown bear and turned away from it. I followed the other students down a hall decorated with ancient sphinxes and Greek statues of the 12 Olympians and soon arrived in an enormous theater-like room with rows upon rows of squashy looking seats that faced a large stage which had a tiny podium standing up front. I filed into the third row away from the stage and sat next to a boy that had dark skin and dreadlocks. He wore a god-awful Hawaiian shirt decorated with tacky flowers and palm trees. It took a moment to actually remember who it was and I jumped a bit. "Cuba?" The boy flinched and looked at me with big brown eyes which narrowed and my heart sank.

"America?" He sneered like he took a disgusting drink of curdled milk. He roared and advanced toward my throat with rough hands. He tightened around my neck and I made pathetic squawking sounds as I tried to explain that I wasn't America. I clawed at his hands and wrenched them from my throat with a bit of difficulty. "I'm Canada! You're friend!" I cried, flustered and gasping for breath. Recognition flashed in his brown eyes and he recoiled away. "Oh! I'm sorry Mateo! I thought – Sorry, I'll get you ice cream after this." I shook my head and rubbed my throat a bit. "Its fine Cuba, I'm used to it." The Cuban man sunk back into his seat sadly and looked at his hands and gasped a bit and looked from his hand to mine.

"What?"

"Y-You're bleeding Mateo. What happened?"

_Maple . . ._

I looked down to see that my hand was sticky with drying blood and my palm ached sharply and I quickly hid it into my pocket. "Sorry, I f-fell down on the way over here, it's no big deal," I murmured as looking down at my sneakers. Cuba gave me a disbelieving look but turned his attention to the stage as a man had emerged from the velvety red curtains and stood by the podium and watched the rest of the students settle down into their seats. I felt something tap my shoulder and I turned around to see Russia slouching in his seat and his head cradled in his right hand with a bored expression on his face. His eyes flicked down at me and scowled. "What do you want, _Matvey_?" He sneered, his prominent nose wrinkling with a snarl.

I said nothing and turned back around to watch the stage. A few moments later, there was that tap and I whirled around to only see Ivan in his exact position. He glared at me again and I returned it before turning my attention to the man who had stepped up to the podium. He was a middle-aged man with balding dusty brown hair and wore a formal pinstriped suit with a silk purple button-up shirt underneath. He tapped the microphone, making it echo with a dull _moof-moof_ sound and leaned in to speak.

"_Good morning freshman students of Worldwide University! I am Professor Icomics and I am the Headmaster of Worldwide University. As you may have noticed, this is not a college for anybody, but this is for those who are to become government officials, personified nations, and so on. We are the only college in the entire world who specializes in this area and I hope you will all be successful in whatever you may be doing._

"_I would I like to introduce you all to your teachers now. This is Professor Langwae and she will be you're Language teacher,"_ A very short women dressed in gray dress pants and wore a florescent pink shirt with frilly ruffles. She flashed a white smile at us and primped her short curly hair a bit. We students made a small applause for Professor Langwae and I felt that tap again on my shoulder but ignored it. _"This is Professor Diche and she will be teaching food education to you nations and law to the rest of you," _An attractive woman strutted across the stage and I imagined that America would be making censored comments about her body. She wore a black pencil skirt with high-heels and a blue blouse that clung to her curves. Okay, I admit it . . . she's H-O-T hot!

There were a couple whoops from the guys in our applause and I think I heard a catcall from a girl amongst them. _"This is Professor Caliber and he will be teaching Physical Education and Tactics,"_ A big and burly man lumbered out onto the stage and had a stern "keep-running-or-I'll-shoot-you-in-the-face" look and wore an unfitting sweatshirt and basketball shorts with old gym shoes. I gulped a bit and gave a half-hearted clap and Cuba and I exchanged worried looks. Let's just say we both aren't in the best of shape.

"_Professor Judge will be teaching Economics and Government,"_ Professor Judge was scrawny little man who was no taller than Professor Langwae and whatever hair he had left was graying and his skin was wrinkled and loose. He gave a nervous smile as we clapped again and I gritted my teeth when there was another tap. _"Professor Paint will teach Art and Professor Beat will teach Music," _Two men lined up next to Professor Judge, one wore a stained paint shirt with splattered jeans and the other wore a sweater with a treble clef knitted on the front. "It looks like him mom made him that sweater," A boy sneered at Professor Beat and I was tempted to beat the snot out of that guy.

"_And Professor Corn will be teaching Agriculture and Public Speaking. Give your teachers a round of applause ladies and gentlemen!"_ As Professor Corn shuffled across the stage in his overalls and boots the students made a standing ovation for our teachers. I clapped furiously, a bit excited to be learning from them. The tap returned and I felt a scaly lizard-like beast coil and gnash its teeth angrily. I slowly turned around to see a smiling giant behind me, pure amusement shining in his red-violet eyes. "What. What could you possibly want now?" I snarled but I was only answered a bitter smile.

I wanted to hit him. I wanted to punch out his teeth and I wanted to beat his face in. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, turning back toward the stage and calmed myself down. Cuba gave me a worried look and glanced behind me at Russia and back at me but said nothing and clapped. Professor Icomics discussed about the rules briefly and said that this day would be a "settling in day" so we had no classes today. We were dismissed (to my delight because Ivan had continued to annoy me) and I searched through the crowd for Gilbert and America. Cuba left me when he realized what I was doing and said something about going to take a smoke or something.

I found my friends and Kuma had flung himself at me and I hugged him tightly. The two older nations gave me reproachful looks and I sighed. "Sorry about snapping at you guys, I guess I was a bit on the edge then but I'm feeling better." Gilbert flashed a smile at me and gave me a playful smack upside the head. Alfred chuckled and said it wasn't a big deal while whacking me on the back. "By the way, wasn't that chick who teaches Food sexy or what?" He cried as thrusting his fist toward the sky. "She was pretty," I said bashfully, flushing. Gilbert made a disapproving noise. "I've seen better looking ones." Alfred gave the albino a "or really?" look with his hands on his hips. "Name three Whitey Tightey,"He sneered.

"W-Well – uh –"

"Exactly so shut up!"

I giggled and we made our way to our spot under the shade of a small tree after tending to the scrape on my hand. We sat there for about a couple of hours goofing off and cracking jokes. I evaded the subjects of girls and Ivan because I didn't feel comfortable talking about them. I may think girls are pretty, but I don't like them in ways other guys would. I only go as far as thinking they are hot and that's it. To be honest, I am terrified of breasts and . . . vag-jay-jays. It's just . . . so _weird _. . . i-it's complicated.

I pulled out my phone while we were discussing some memories of high-school and inspected the time. Crap, I still need to buy food for the week. "Hey guys, do you want to go on a journey to Wal-Mart to get food?" Alfred grunted lazily. "Uhg, effort . . ." Gilbert smacked my brother in the stomach and sniggered. "Sure Birdie, I still need food too. Awesomeness needs its awesome fuel ya know."

"Right . . ." I helped my brother up and we walked out to the parking garage. The sun was beginning to slip down into the skyline of the city as we found Gilbert's car parked in the second level. "I'll drive Gil, I'd prefer that we will all come back in one piece without a ticket or going to jail," I said as pushing past him and sat in the driver seat of his beat up pick-up truck. The Prussian boy rolled his red eyes and squeezed himself into the middle front seat next to me. His truck only had a front seat and we all were pressed uncomfortably close to each other and forced myself not to blush at the fact that Prussia's knee was touching mine.

I took the keys from the albino and shoved it into the ignition, making the vehicle grumble to life with a small backfire of soot. I glanced over at Prussia nervously. "Exactly how long have you had this truck?" I asked as backing out of the parking space. "Shut up Birdie." I rolled my eyes and crept out of the parking garage and prowled down the streets of the city. Tall office buildings scraped the sky and apartment buildings lined the streets along with small shops and convenience stores.

Foreign restraunts spotted the mundane gray of the buildings with flourishes of wild colors. After about fifteen minutes of driving, we came across a Wal-Mart Supercenter and I turned down into the parking lot. After parking, we got out and I left Kuma behind in the car because I knew that the employees wouldn't allow animals in the building. The three of us walked up to the large blue and white store and I grabbed a cart and wheeled it down toward the food section. Alfred kept on wanting to go down to the videogame section but I said to save his money for important things.

"But videogames are important!" He whined, dragging his feet like a little kid. "If you blow your money on videogames, you won't have money for any food for the rest of the month and that would catastrophic for you. Then you would come running to me begging for money and then I'll have no money. So you can wait," I explained, counting off the reasons on my fingers. Gilbert sniggered at Alfred who pouted but said nothing more. A short time later, we purchased our food and piled back into the truck and prowled away back to the school. I looked at my phone again to see that it was around seven o' clock and I decided to go back to my room. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, bye!" I called as walking off toward the boy's dormitory. "Yeah! Have an awesome night sleep and be careful Birdie!" Prussia yelled waving his whole arm. "'Night Mattie! I'll be in my room playing videogames if you need me!" My brother said as waving goodbye with Prussia. I smiled at them and dashed up to my dorm, hoping that I would be there before Ivan so I could relax a bit.

Relief washed over me as I stepped through the empty dorm and I set Kuma on the floor and put my groceries away into the tiny cabinets and mini-fridge. It seemed that Ivan had already got his food because there were already strange foods in the cabinets. They seemed to be mainly sweets filled with strange ingredients and there were a considerable amount of vodka in the fridge. I pushed Ivan's food to one side and put my stuff on the other side. Sighing, I pulled myself up onto the top bunk after putting Kuma up there and immediately fell dead asleep. Settling down on my pillow, I reached under it and pulled out a worn book that was a deep purple and the spine was black. I opened the thick book to where my bookmark was and began to read.

Time dripped by as my mind was enveloped in the story I reading and the door clicked open and I looked to see Ivan ducking through the doorway. He looked angry and I noticed that his sweater had a few rips in it and his hair was in a sweaty disarray like he went through a hardcore wrestling match. A dark and ugly bruise was taking shape over one of his eyes and I shivered a bit at the pure hatred in his red-violet eyes. "What happened to you?" I asked casually, looking back at my book. I felt his dagger glare burn into me, but I did not flinch. "None of your business Отродье," He snarled as turning away from me and threw off his sweater. I glanced over and felt my cheeks burn. His body was lean and strong, strong shoulders stiffened angrily and his big hand clenched in fists.

I've seen about a thousand shirtless guys in my life, but it seemed awkward when Ivan was standing shirtless in the room. Ferocious pink scars were slashed on his skin, particularly focusing around where his heart is. I quickly avoided looking at Ivan and forced myself into reading my book, trying to ignore him. I heard Ivan stir and clank around in the kitchen and a sound of a cork being removed. I put the bookmark back into my book and decided it was time to change into pajamas. I felt Ivan's cold stare bore into me as I dug out my pajamas and went to the bathroom to change.

I emerged again about five minutes later, and scrambled back up into my bed. Ivan was sitting in the kitchen, taking a long drink from his vodka and smiled at me. "Goodnight, _Matvey_."

I gulped a bit. His voice dripped with venom and he had a look in his eye that held the lust for blood and the screams of agony and pain. I felt my hands begin to shake, but I told myself to get a grip. "Goodnight, _Ivan_," I said quietly, giving him a look that said I wasn't afraid of him.

"You are foolish to not be afraid. You should be _very _scared . . ."

An ice cold drop of something ran down along my spine and I narrowed my eyes at him and pulled the covers over my head.

"I would be foolish to believe you . . ." I murmured to myself and closed my eyes, drifting off into darkness.

~;~

_A/N: Well, here it is guys! I thank you all for the reviews and your support! It is greatly appreciated. The third chapter may take longer to write because I still have to figure things out. Oh yeah, here's how you pronounce some of the Professor's names:_

_Professor Icomics: (EC-OM-ICS)_

_Professor Diche: (DISH)_

_Professor Corn: (CORN)_

_Professor Caliber: (CALA-BUR)_

_Professor Langwae: (LANG-WAY)_

_Professor Judge: (JUDGE)_

_Professor Paint: (PAINT)_

_Professor Beat: (BEET)_

_Oh yeah, I also forgot about the translations O_O Sorry!_

_Translations:_

_Отродье = Brat_

_THANK YOU AND PLEASE REVIEW!_


	3. Chapter 3

_(In Ivan's head)_

_Corrupted images flashed in his unstable mind. Blood, gore, tears, death . . . It was all beautiful to him. Victims begging for mercy, mothers crying over lost children. He sat on his throne of broken bodies and watched hellfire burn the world to nothing. It made him smile. The warmth of the blood that would forever cake his hands almost felt motherly and loving. The metallic taste in the back of his throat was sweeter than sugar and the joy of causing world chaos was overwhelming. _

_But now as he slept in his bed, he did not wish for those images to show. They were too frightening and he would try to scramble away, but the cackling demons would drag him back in. They chained him up and tied him down, but still he kept on escaping. His inner self was trying to run from this hell, but he could not get away. _

_Again and again he would be beaten, whipped, and thrown to the wild and hungry beasts, but he never lost sight of trying to get back. There was a spark of hope in him ever since he walked through these doors. An angel has come to set him free at last . . . _

_Hopefully . . ._

~;~

(Back to Canada)

"'_Cause Canada's really big~!"_

I groaned pressed the button on my phone and rolled over out of bed. I crashed to the ground with a loud "_kssssssh"_ and I yelped. "Fils de pute!" I cried as writhed a bit on the ground, trying to get up. "Hmph . . . pathetic," I heard a thickly accented voice mutter. Scornful red-violet eyes watched me as I finally returned to my feet. "Shut up," I snarled before walking to the kitchen. The dorm room was dark and I felt around for a light switch along the wall. Finding one, I turned on the light and proceeded to make a bowl of Chex cereal. Ivan got out of bed as well and got out a bottle of Vodka. "Seriously? Vodka?" I sneered as shoveling cereal into my mouth.

"Would you rather me beating you senseless with it?" He growled before taking a swig of the alcohol. "I'd rather pass," I muttered as looking down at my breakfast, losing my appetite. I washed my bowl out and went to my dresser to get dressed for the day. I wore some old jeans with my favorite red hoodie and I gave Kuma a pat goodbye before telling him to be a good bear and left the dorm so fast that Ivan hadn't even finished his breakfast.

I sighed a bit and slung my schoolbag over my shoulder and walked down the hall. It seemed that some other people were awake because I could hear footsteps within the closed off rooms. I dug my hand in my hoodie pocket and found my schedule neatly fitted between my iPod and phone. I unfolded it as I walked down the stairs slowly. The chatter was held to a minimum for everyone was tired. I first had Economics with Professor Judge, then Language with Professor Langwae, Music with Professor Beat, then lunch, Food with Professor Diche, Agriculture with Professor Corn, and finally Tactics with Professor Caliber.

At least I didn't have Tactics this early in the morning. The halls were beginning to fill up when I left the building and was welcomed with a cool, misty summer morning. I breathed in the humid air that promised a hot day today and approached the main campus. A few girls were already at the steps and my attention was snagged by a girl who looked terribly tired. Dark circles were under her watery blue eyes and her fair blonde hair was a bit tangled. She also looked like she was threatening to break down at any moment, so I decided to try and make her feel better.

"It seems like it'll be a hot day today, don't you think?" I began casually, trotting up to her side. She flinched and I heard a loud, _"bong-bong"_. Then I finally noticed her breasts. They were _enormous_! The buttons of her blouse were greatly stressed against her bust and threatened to pop open a terrifying surprise. I cringed to think about how her back might feel, but a strike of fear shot through me and I hastily looked at her face. I shivered a bit in horror of what I just experienced but I fixed my gaze on her face, giving her a smile. "I-I suppose . . ." The girl stuttered and blushed. "I'm Matthew Williams, personification of Canada," I said as holding a hand out for her. "Er, I'm Katyusha, personification of Ukraine," She whispered before shaking my hand.

There was an awkward silence between us as we entered the semi-empty school. "S-So who do you have first?" I asked stiffly. "Economics," Ukraine muttered, her tired eyes glancing at me warily. A smile reappeared on my face and I said that it was mine too and we made our way to the classroom. It was in the northeastern part of the school and as I opened the door for Katyusha, I was amazed by how large the room was. Bleachers sat on one side of the room, groups of people already seated amongst the rows, and a podium stood on a platform in front of a large projector screen.

The two of us made admiring noises and sat together at the top. Ukraine seemed to have calmed down a bit and it made me feel a bit better about myself. Small desks were screwed to the floor of the rows and I reached into my bag and pulled out my notebook and Economics book and set them on the little desk. Ukraine had done the same and simply watched people socialize with each other. The room steadily filled up with people and to my pleasure, Gilbert was in my first class as well. "Hey Birdie, I see you survived the night," He sniggered as sitting down next to me. I saw him stare at Ukraine with eyes that were widened to comical proportions. "Birdie, are you aware that you got yourself an _awesome_ set right there?" He muttered in my ear.

I flushed furiously and shook my head wildly. "No, Gil! You know I'm terrified of those!" I whispered back, jerking my head a bit as a gesture to her . . . er . . . large assets. The Prussian boy had to practically mash his face in to keep himself from roaring with laughter and I blushed even further and smacked him repeatedly until he calmed down. I turned to face Katyusha and she was giving us a "what the hell?" look. "Um, Gilbert this is Katyusha, Katyusha this is Gilbert," I introduced and leaned in to Prussia's ear. "Keep your eyes on her face or so help me I'll castrate you myself." The albino ignored me and shook Ukraine's hand delightedly. "I personify the above all awesome of all awesome country of Prussia! I'll be the awesomenest guy you'll ever meet!" He cried excitedly, before getting his stuff out.

Katyusha said nothing but gave him a small smile and returned to her staring. "'The awesomenest guy you'll ever meet?' really Gil? Really?" I growled irritably but the albino cackled softly. Professor Judge scurried into the room and told everyone to sit down. The students obeyed and sat down in the bleachers as the little man stood at the podium. "Good morning class! I am Professor Judge and I will be teaching you economics. I trust that you know what economics is, and if not, you may need some serious help." There was a ripple of chuckles and it seemed to make the tiny Professor relax. "Now, I would like to start us off with some easy questions. Who can tell me what our world economy mainly runs on?" My hand shot up before any others and he pointed at me. "Oil!" I blurted out. "Precisely!" He cried and started to discuss how oil is the main thing that the economy runs on. "Know-it-all," Gilbert muttered and I elbowed him firmly in the ribs and took a few notes.

The class rolled by and I left the classroom with Katyusha and Gilbert, each of us grumbling about our stack of homework we have to do before the end of the week. I said goodbye to Ukraine as she parted to go to her next class and Gilbert and I headed off to Language. "Do you really have to be an asshole Gil? You kept on calling me names in Economics and I'm already sick of it!" I snapped as we settled into the bleachers. "Jesus, Birdie! Cranky aren't we? I was just teasing you know, what's got your panties all up in a bunch?" Prussia snarled as putting his book up on the table. I sighed and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Gil I didn't mean to snap at you. I guess I'm a little tired," I said.

"It's okay Birdie, just try to be an awesome friend and get more sleep now."

"I'll try."

Language seemed to fly by and I had to scramble between doing my work and taking some more notes. To start off the year, we have to do an essay on our country's native language and where it originated from and so on. I had Music with Katyusha and thankfully we didn't have any homework. "Hey Katyusha, do you want to sit with me and Gilbert at lunch?" I asked her as we left the room. "Um, actually I-I was going to sit with some friends of mine, sorry Matvey," She said in a regretful tone.

"It's okay, I'll see you later!" I called as we parted ways. "See you, Matvey!"

I jumped as I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I frantically fished it out to see an envelope blinking on the screen. I clicked a button and scrolled around before finding the text message. It read:

_meet me outside. i $ us some McD's 4 lunch :D don't worry i got some for gilbo ;)_

Rolling my eyes, I replied:

_I have food in my room. I'll just bring something down instead. But thank you anyways :)_

After sending the message, I ran to my room, grabbed a bag chips along with some gummy worms and a Coke while throwing Kuma three pieces of fish before storming back down the stairs. While going down the stairs, I ran head-on into some random thing. The wind was knocked out of my lungs when I hit the object and then I suddenly yanked up by my throat and slammed against the wall. "Watch it, _Matvey_," Ivan's voice hissed, his red-violet eyes seething with anger. "Sorry," I choked, staring him straight in the eye.

"I am in no mood to be messing with you, так что следите с моего пути," He snarled before throwing me bodily down the stairs. I rolled down the stairs painfully, but no cry of pain ever reached my lips. As I slowed to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, I simply stood up and recollected myself, numb to the pain in my body. That asshole really thought that pushing me down the stairs was going to scare me into submission. I glared at the space where the Russian was and snorted before walking down the hall and outside.

"About time you got here!" Alfred cried as he stuffed his face with a burger. "Sorry, I ran into a mishap on the way," I murmured as sitting down with my food. The sun glared brutally down at the earth and I was already beginning to sweat in my hoodie. Prussia was eating sunflower seeds lazily, looking bored and sleepy. I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and set it aside as I began to eat my chips.

Some boys were running around shirtless in the sun, playing Frisbee and hacky-sack. Girls sat in their "Social Circles" and gossiped and laughed and were just being their complicated selves. There was a silence between the three of us, besides the disgusting gobbling sound that was emanating from my brother as he ate at his crazy and inhuman speed.

The silence remained for the rest of lunch and I threw my trash away before heading off to Food. I could tell that the boys were having a hard time paying attention in Food because Professor Diche had decided to wear a low-cut hot pink blouse and was practically flashing them every time she leaned over at a certain angle. I just rolled my eyes and listened intently, taking more notes.

Agriculture was kind of interesting. Professor Corn had a heavy southern accent and it made everything he said a bit hard not to laugh. He could be _dead _serious and you will have blood in your mouth because you just cannot laugh or you'll find a pitchfork up your ass. I now feel the need to cry now. I already had a crap load homework and it hasn't even been a week yet.

I dragged myself to the locker rooms that were _all_ the way in the freaking back of the school. I changed into a white T-shirt and red basketball shorts and as I turned to exit the crowded locker room, I spotted a flash of fair hair and mocking red-violet eyes. _Maple on a bleep blop! He _was in my Tactics class and this will just go _splendidly! _I slunk out of the locker room and was accompanied by Cuba, after the whole him almost killing me because he thought I was America thing.

I resisted the urge to puke at the sight of Cuba's ridiculously hairy legs and just gave him a "help me" look. Professor Caliber brought us out into the hellish heat of the outside world and lectured to us that having a military is one of the most critical things you need to stay a strong country. I looked down at myself to see that I am very thin and the only reason that I had a so called "six-pack" is because of my crazy metabolism. No matter how much I eat, I stay a freaking skeleton. I have zero upper-arm strength, but I am very fast, not to mention my lightening reflexes.

So to sum it all up, speed and agility equals good and strength equals bad.

It was kind of hard to understand Professor Caliber because he had a very low voice and his words were all ran together. "I am going to assign each and every one of you a partner to carry out the exercises together. You will have the same partner for the rest of the year so I don't want to hear any 'ifs, ands, or buts'!" In my head I was screaming, _"Please not Ivan, please not Ivan, please not Ivan, please not Ivan!"_ as the teacher named off out partners. "Cuba and Poland, Sweden and Germany, Russia and Canada . . ."

**!**

I think I died a little on the inside when Professor Caliber said that. Ivan and I inched toward each other, stopping when we were within and three foot radius of each other. The professor gave us a list of exercises to do for the rest of the class. The list was: 25 lunges, 50 push-ups, run around the school twice, and 35 chin-ups. We also had to complete it with our partners which made it even more humiliating. Ivan picked at every little thing I did wrong and was just being plain obnoxious. I snapped at him twice, but I rewarded with a fist jabbing me in the throat.

The class seemed to drag on forever until Professor Caliber finally told us to get changed. I literally crawled out of the locker room on my face and dragged myself up to the dorm and changed into a fresh Mario T-shirt and some old pajama pants before collapsing onto my bed, disrupting a polar bear from his slumber. I groaned into the sheets hopelessly as I reflected back on the homework that was all crammed in my bag. _C'mon Canada! Grow some balls and do your homework before that bastard comes to kill you!_ I reached down from my bed and pulled my bag up on it and pulled it all out.

I whimpered at the mountain of books and papers and then pulled out my laptop and booted it up. Time rolled by at a painstakingly slow pace and to my pleasure, Ivan had not even step foot in here yet. I yawned widely and stretched my arms out, my fingertips brushing against the ceiling slightly. My stomach growled a bit and I decided to take a break. Perhaps I could ask Alfred if he would like to out somewhere to eat for dinner. Taking out my phone I composed a message for him and sent it. No more than two seconds later, my phone went off. I smiled at Alfred's approval and slid out of bed and onto the floor.

"I'll see you later Kumazaka."

"Bye-bye."

I met Alfred at the end of the hall and as we went down the steps, I felt a strange sensation in my stomach. You know that feeling you get when you know something is going to go bad? That was exactly how I felt. As we rounded the corner, I spotted Russia leaned up against the wall, his hair hiding his face so I couldn't see. The halls were mostly empty because it seemed that everyone was too hammered with homework. "Well look what the cat dragged in," America cried with a smug look on his face as he situated his glasses.

The giant's head snapped up to glare at the offender and I took a sharp intake of breath. His face was purple with ugly bruises and blood was dripping from his nose and his lips were stained with the red liquid, making him look even more frightening (if it were even possible). His red-violet eyes were ablaze with anger and a deep loathing as he shot razor sharp daggers at my brother. My idiot brother just laughed at him. "Looks like I really pushed his buttons huh, Mattie?" He elbowed me playfully in the ribs and I glanced a bit nervously at the angry boy, no . . . the angry _demon_ that stood before us. I could see a faint smile appear on his bloodstained lips. Suddenly, he flashed forward and punched my brother right in the jaw so fast I didn't see it coming.

Alfred made an outraged yell that included a few choice words and dove into a ferocious fray with the demonic boy who had a wide psychotic smile that revealed crimson teeth. Snapping out of momentary shock, I ran toward them, demanding for them to stop.

"C'mon guys! Stop! Hey! _STOP__!_"

Ivan suddenly stopped when he had America in a brutal headlock, his red-violet eyes were wide like a child getting caught stealing from the cookie jar. But the look was short-lived and he snarled and threw Alfred aside like he was a ragdoll or something of that nature. His steps were careful and slow, like a predator stalking his prey. As he drew closer, fear rose in my throat and I backed up until I hit the wall softly. The demon's face was no more than about an inch away from my face and I could smell the blood on his breath.

"It's all your fault."

That was all he said before limping away, leaving my brother groaning on the floor and me against the wall terrified and shaking like a leaf. It turned out that Ivan was all bark; he can sure as hell bite. I slid down against the wall and hugged my knees like a child would if it were about to cry.

I was the fool for not believing him.

~;~

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys! ^^; I apologize if this was in anyway confusing or suckish. I am not very happy with the chapter but whatever. Plus I was a bit pissed when I writing this for some odd reason. O.o; I promise you all that the next chapter will be better than this was so don't leave me yet! DX Oh yeah, if I am to go through with it being better it's probably going to take me the rest of the week because I'm going to be a bit busy this week bit it __will__ be!_

_Translations:_

_Fils de pute = Son of a bitch!_

_так что следите с моего пути = so stay out of my way_

_REVIEW PLEASE!_

c(^^c)


	4. Chapter 4

It has been about a month since the brawl between Ivan and my brother and I had made sure to not piss him off. I avoided his gaze and let him push me around when he wanted (which was a daily occurrence). I no longer acknowledged him and tried to ignore him when we were alone together in our dorm room. But that seemed to make the bullying worse. Once he had tried to throw me out a three story window, but thankfully Prussia was there to stop it.

It was a rainy and thunderous outside on this particular day; lightening split the sky and made the air spark with its electrical discharge. Students were scrambling from the school and to their dormitories quickly, hoods drawn up and books held over heads to attempt to keep their selves dry from the heavy downpour. I had left my hood down and took my time walking down the worn concrete path, the weight of my mountain of homework pressing down on my shoulders with its immense quantity; it almost felt like the pressure I was under whenever Ivan was around.

The icy cold water was soothing against my skin that more suitable for the cold rather than the heat that had been present earlier in the month. It was nice to actually have rain for once. The rain had long ago soaked into my scalp and a fuzzy feeling that you get when you fingers are cold and you stick them in warm water was sent through my body. I tipped my back a bit to peer up into the dark clouds that loomed over head, but it was rather difficult because of the water splashing against my glasses lenses.

Sighing, I dipped my head back down and watched my feet put themselves in front of each other without much thought. People dashed past, sometimes jostling me into the mud and getting my sneakers dirty much to my distaste. The third time I was forced into the brown muck I decided to pick up the pace and walked at a normal speed to the boy's dormitory. When I stepped through the doorway, I was accompanied by my new friend, Katyusha. She wore a white button up shirt that was again stressed uncomfortably at her bust and some blue overalls with knee-high rubber boots.

"Hello Matvey!" She cried, jumping up and down a bit in her excitement, her assets making its audible _"Bong-bong!"_ I ignored it though, growing a bit used to it but it still didn't change my fear of breasts. "Hey Katyusha," I said and was smothered with a big hug from her, terror rising in my throat like bile. "Wait, why are you in the boy's dormitory?" I asked as being freed by the hug. "U-Um, I was here to see my brother actually. He asked me if I could help him with his homework," She stammered as I walked up the dormitory steps. "Aw, that's sweet. I wish that me and my brother were like that. All my brother ever does is eat, sleep, and play videogames. Do you want to trade?"

Katyusha laughed and patted me on the shoulder. "I'm not sure if you want my little brother really . . . he's not the kind of person to be asking help a lot so it must be something hard," She said thoughtfully, pressing a finger to her lips in thought. "Maybe it's that stupid Economic homework. It's going to take me all weekend to finish! But it also could be that essay we have to do for Food . . ." I continued down the list of our homework, counting them off on my fingers as I blabbered on.

"I'm thinking it's the Music homework actually Canada. He seems to be struggling with that," Katyusha cut in, breaking me from my trance of rambling. "I could probably help too. I'm pretty good in Music as well," I offered as we continued the tiring journey up the stairs. "Um, if you want to I guess," The girl whispered in an unsure tone. We arrived at a landing and Katyusha took the lead from here and led us down the hall that led to my room. Perhaps her brother lived in this hall. But we stopped at my dorm and I began to get nervous. Maybe she's related to Ivan. I hope not. "Uh, Ukraine, this is my –"I broke off when we opened the door to see Ivan crouched over his pile of homework, frustrated fingers tangled in his hair as he glared murderously at his paper. It turned out that she was, indeed, Ivan's big sister.

The blonde girl approached her brother slowly, muttering something in Russian. The giant snarled and glared at me and responded hastily before turning back to his previous position. She tried to say something but he snapped at her and I saw tears form in her eyes. Whatever he had said, it was probably something hurtful because she dashed out of the room, almost knocking me over in the process. "Do you really have to be an asshole in two different languages?" I muttered as throwing my bag onto the floor. He said nothing in response and I rolled my eyes while taking out my books and sat down next to him at a small card table.

His red-violet eyes threw daggers at me, but I ignored him. For Katyusha's sake, I'll grow a pair and help Ivan with his homework. "S-So what don't you understand?" I asked as reaching for his papers slowly as if he were a dangerous animal about to bite my hand off. "All of it," He grumbled with a childish disgruntled look on his face. I relaxed a bit, thankful that he was at least not trying to strangle me.

I smiled a bit at him and took his papers to see what he had done. The sheet of paper was blank and I frowned at him before asking what the assignment was. "Um . . ." Russia looked away shamefully, clearly not knowing what it was. I groaned and put the paper down on the table and buried my face in my hands. This could _not _be happening. "Do you even pay attention in class?" I mumbled in my hands, looking up at him, only to see him shake his head.

"Alright, I think I have the same thing Music too." I grabbed my bag and crouched over it, digging around in the depths before finding my Music notebook and sitting back down at the card table. "Okay, let's see . . . Aha!" I slammed the paper down in front of Ivan, making him jump a bit at the force. "You need to write a report on a famous musician from your country, Ivan," I explained as pushing his blank sheet back to him. "Um, thanks," He mumbled, glancing a bit shyly at me.

As I gave Ivan the paper, our fingertips brushed and, ironically, there was a flash of lightening outside and I jumped a bit at the buzzing feeling as we touched. The cruel boy who sat across from me seemed to have felt the same shock and gave me a weird look. My cheeks burned and I looked away quickly, cursing myself for letting that blush slip. Clearing my throat, I went on explaining the assignment to Ivan who soaked it up like a child would to a storyteller. It seemed a bit odd seeing Ivan actually paying attention to what I said. Before, he would've swatted away whatever I had said as if it were a bothersome fly buzzing around his head.

There was a loud crash of thunder and I winced, trying to suppress a flinch but failed. "Aw, is wittle Matvey scared?" Ivan cooed over the top of his computer that sat in front of him. "Shut up and do your work," I hissed, rubbing my arms that were prickled with goose-bumps. The rain outside was audile from indoors and it splashed violently against the window pane. I cradled my head in my hand and looked out the window, listening to the clicks and a pencil scrawling across paper that were coming from across the table.

Feeling that it should be around dinner time, I stood and grabbed a fish from the mini-fridge and tossed it to a sleeping bear on my bed who gobbled it up greedily. Peering back into the fridge, I dug out a bottle of water and some strawberries before settling back down at the table. Ivan was scowling at Kuma who was now curling back up into a ball to go back to sleep. "You spoil that bear rotten, Matvey," He said, turning back to his work. "It's not my fault he is lazy," I argued.

"Well . . ."

"Shut up."

When Russia seemed to have enough of a boost on his essay, I picked up Kuma and decided to pay my brother a visit. Walking across the hall, I knocked on the door softly. No answer. I knocked a bit harder. There was still no answer. I pressed my ear against the door and heard shouts, a gross gurgling sound, and gun fires from inside. "Alfred, I know you're in there!" I shouted, kicking the door. There was a loud crash on the other side of the door followed by a string of censored curses before the door finally opened.

My older brother was wriggling into a pair of jeans when he opened the door and had a sweatshirt thrown over his bare shoulders. "Were you playing videogames in your underwear again?" I groaned as smacking my forehead. "Um . . . no~." He lied, blue eyes looking everywhere else except for my face. I shook my head and stepped into his dorm room. I pity his room-mate, whoever the poor bastard was. America's clothes were strewn everywhere and food wrappers littered the floor. A small TV was glowing on the floor next to the foot the bottom bunk bed.

"So who's your roomie again?" I asked as stepping over a pile of dirty laundry in distaste. "Sweden. He's scary as hell but he's actually a pretty nice guy once you get to know him. But don't mess with his boyfriend or else you'll be in one hell of a beating from him." I snorted. "I know that! He went to school with us. Remember?" America thought for a moment. "Oh yeah . . . you did go to school with us didn't you . . ." I rolled my eyes and sat down in front of the small TV with Kuma hugged tightly against my chest. The brunette plopped down next to me and picked up his Xbox controller. I peered at the screen and saw a character shooting a bunch of zombies that looked like people from the 1800s and assumed that he was playing Resident Evil or something of that nature.

I jumped when a zombie popped out of nowhere and its head blown off to reveal a nasty looking creature that had a long whip-like piece of flesh that was barbed with a sharp pointed stinger and it was slinging around crazily. I cringed and held my hand to my mouth in disgust when its head exploded and blood splattered every which way. "Let me get this straight Al, you can play this gory, bloody, zombie videogame, yet you can't watch Casper: The Friendly Ghost?"

"Casper is scary though!" Alfred whined, throwing his controller down and immediately pick it back up again when there was a loud, unearthly screech and that gross whip thing lashed out again, catching the character off guard and made his HP go down. Cussing like a sailor, the American made the character pull out a rifle and shoot the zombie repeatedly until it fell to the ground in a bloody mass of flesh.

I sat there for about an hour or so before having enough of the videogame. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow in class," I fake yawned and stood shakily to my feet. "We don't have class tomorrow Mattie. Don't you remember? Tomorrow's Saturday you ding dong!" Alfred cried, dramatically throwing his arms everywhere to emphasize his words. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Thanks for reminding me Al, goodnight." I said as closing the door slowly. "Don't let the zombies bite!" My brother shouted over the screams of the zombies.

I smirked and walked back toward my room but then there was a loud crash of thunder and the lights flickered off. There was a chorus of outraged yells and complaints from the other rooms along the hall. I jumped when I was plunged into darkness and I couldn't see anything in the dim light. I squinted and felt around for the door knob along the wall. My heart began to race when I had an absurd thought of zombies lurking around in the veil of shadows.

My palms began to get sweaty with the rising fear that was like a chip that you didn't chew well enough and it made its painful journey down your esophagus. My trembling hands finally grasped the doorknob and I burst into the room. Kuma was squirming wildly in my arms and fell to the ground with a loud thump and lumbered away into the darkness. I was about to call out to my friend when I heard a soft sob. I pricked my eyes to attention and my eyes scanned the darkness, trying to detect the slightest movement in the black. A flash of lightening startled me and I spotted a large figure curled up on the floor before the bright light disappeared. "Hello?" I muttered quietly, hugging myself for some kind of comfort.

There was no answer but I heard a small rustle a little ways in front of me. I made small baby-steps toward the noise, careful not to step on whatever or _whoever _it was. I stopped when I was able to see a faint outline of a large figure that was laying on the floor. It seemed to be a very large person, perhaps a man, curled up on the ground, hugging his knees and his face hidden behind them. The lights suddenly flashed back on and I winced at the harsh artificial light that dug into my eyes like needles.

Once my vision returned to normal, I gasped quietly and stumbled back a step at what I sat laying curled up on the floor. Kuma crawled up behind me and stared at the figure on the floor with worried and frightened black eyes. On the floor was the one and only, Ivan Braginski. His sides were shuddering as if he was laughing silently, but from what I could tell, it was anything but laughing. His breath was shaky and his body convulsed at least once or twice every thirty seconds. He looked like a frightened child hiding in a closet from a robber that had killed its family and was lurking about, looking for him.

Call me crazy but I could only think that the giant, intimidating, fearless, Russian was crying.

It might be some clever joke he came up with and he would think that I would be soft enough to sooth him of his tears like a mother would and then he would sucker punch me and it will all go down-hill from there. I scowled at his pathetic form on the floor and turned my back on him. "You cut the act Ivan, I'm falling for it!" I said angrily as climbing up onto my bed. Ivan didn't answer and I rolled my eyes. "Look, I'm not going to fall for it okay? So cut it right now!" Still the blonde boy on the floor remained silent except for the soft fake sobs that were meant for me to cave in on.

Growling, I pushed myself off the bed and onto the floor with a quiet thump and approached him, having enough of his sick act. "I'm not a wimp just to let you know! The only reason I am avoiding you is because I don't want to get involved in anything! I am perfectly capable of kicking your ass and I will if I have to!" I shouted as prying his arms from its tight hold on his legs. "So cut the - oh god . . ."

Tears were fresh on his face and his watery violet eyes looked up at me helplessly. His round face was red and stained with the real tears that I thought were fake and I felt horrible. How could be so cruel to someone like that? I felt lower than dirt and guilt hung over my head like the raging storm clouds outside. "Maple! I'm sorry for being a jerk! I didn't know you were actually crying? Are you okay?" I asked feverishly, letting go of his arm.

Wait hold on . . . no . . . I won't fall for it . . .

But when I just thought that, arms suddenly snaked around my torso and yanked me a bit forcefully forward. I was about to fight back when I finally realized what was going on.

Ivan was . . . oh my god . . . _hugging me!_

His tear stained face dug itself into my damp sweatshirt and his arms were tightly enclosed around me, trapping me in a strange and awkward hug. "I'm scared . . . make it stop Matvey . . ." He muttered in a small voice that seemed alien to pass his lips. My mind was whirring at what was happening, desperately trying to make sense of the situation, but nothing seemed to fit. "Make it stop!" He demanded as digging his fingers into my ribs painfully. "I don't understand Ivan! What's wrong! Tell me and I can help you!" I cried, trying to wrench him away from me.

"Sing the song . . ." Ivan whispered and I felt hot tears bleed through the fabric of my shirt and it made me shiver and my skin prickle. "W-What?" I asked stupidly. "The song you hum every night. It makes the monsters go away . . . please Matvey, I'm scared." I blinked at him in confusion. I don't hum in my sleep . . . do I? If I do, I have no idea. But what song could it possibly be?

Then it hit me, the lullaby that man sang to me when I was young. "You mean that lullaby?" I whispered softly, slowly placing my hand in his light blonde hair. His head bobbed up and down and his fingers dug deeper into my sides, making me wince at the cracking pressure that stressed against my rib cage. I began to hum the soft melody of the lullaby as I have done for twenty-two years before, my voice rolling over the haunting rise and falls of the song. Ivan had begun to calm down and his grip loosened and he slowly laid his head down in my lap as I continued to hum the lullaby as soft and soothing as I could.

I ran my fingers absently through the soft pale locks of his hair as the lullaby came to an end with a long whole note. I looked down at him and saw that he was peacefully asleep in my lap and I petted his hair for a few more moments, savoring them because I knew that in the morning everything would be back to the way they were. Ivan being a heartless jackass and me trying to avoid trouble's grasp.

Sighing, I grabbed a pillow from his bed and set it under his head as removing my lap from under it. I gently threw a cover over him and brushed a strand of hair from his face and smiled kindly at him. A wild thought of kissing his forehead flashed through my head, but I quickly crushed it. No, you had enough for one night. Just go to bed and hopefully they can put this night behind them. It'd be hell if Ivan remembered this and would start holding it over my head like it was a big mistake (which it could be). I looked out the window to see that the storm had passed and the glow of the moon penetrated the thin overcast. I yawned and finally felt the exhaustion seep in from the sleepless nights earlier this week. I turned back around and hauled myself up onto the bed and curled up under the warm covers and instantly fell asleep, completely forgetting about the earlier events.

_(Ivan's Head)_

_Light and warmth seemed to burst from him. His pain was washed away by overwhelming joy and his heart seemed to be lifted. But this was all brief. Skeletal fingers grabbed him and dragged him kicking and screaming back into internal darkness. There was something wrong with him. The demons smeared blood onto his skin and it felt white hot against his skin and he screamed out for help. He no longer wanted to see the pain of others for it caused him more pain. The monsters did not comply with this and continued to rub him down with the crimson liquid. _

_They did not understand why. He had the devil tipping his head toward him and he had the upmost respect of even the most evil and deranged. Why this sudden change in behavior? Before he would demand more blood and more souls to rip apart, but now . . . all he wanted was to run away. He would dream of a place that was warm and full of tall sunflowers that scraped the sky and great rolling fields. The demons would make sure that there would be no such place. They would keep him here until he snaps out of this dilemma. _

_Ivan pictured the face of Matvey smiling and laughing. It proved some comfort, but the pain was still too great and he continued to cry out to the heavens and the sniggers of the demons echoed in his ears. _

_Make it stop!_

~;~

_A/N: I am super sorry about the long wait! DX I am very sorry to tell you guys this but there might be a very long wait for the next chapter because I can't be on my laptop during the week -.- But I'll try to put it up as soon as I can DX Also the website was being stupid and not letting me edit my stories :( T^T _

_REVEIW PLEASE!_

_c(^^c)_


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur sat alone in his empty house, trying to concentrate on his paperwork, but the words kept on jumbling up together making it impossible to read. His fingers tugged at the short golden strands of his hair irritably, frustrated that he could not focus on his work. For the past few hours, he has been attempting to fill out bills, read and sign documents, read memos, record down his current stats and everything else of that matter. It was all due by the end of the week and it was making Arthur stress out as the deadline drew closer.

He sighed and laid his aching head down on his crossed arms that were propped up on a stack of manila envelopes. How he missed his little brothers and he would give almost anything to at least speak with them. He seemed to miss Alfred the most and it troubled him a bit. He should miss them both equally, but his mind is mainly leaning toward the middle child. The Englishmen touched his cheek lightly as he thought of Alfred again, his ever-smiling face and those large baby-blue eyes that used to look up to him with great admiration which he will probably never see again.

Arthur remembered when he was taking the little squirming toddler home. He remembered that it was hot and he was trying to settle the excited child down. He looked around the age of 14 or so and one would think that he would be much too young to take care of a toddler then. Arthur was very mature for what age he looked like, maybe because he wasn't as young as one would think. He might've been around a few centuries old then, for he is _much _older now and he doesn't care much anymore of how old he really is (he probably has lost track anyway).

Anyways, he was growing impatient with the little one's excessive whining and wild attempts to flee from his grasp. "America! You can't walk or you'll get hurt!" He scolded, but the boy was determined to walk on his own. Even then he was independent. Sighing, he set the boy down into the tall grass of the field in which they were cutting through to get to England's house. The child laughed and frolicked merrily around in the whispering grass that tickled his chin. England made sure not to lose sight of the boy, but soon found that the boy seemed to be trustworthy and focused more on where he was headed. Now he knew that this was a mistake.

The moment he thought this, there was a roar of what sounded like an angry bull and a shriek of a child. Horror stabbed him in the stomach and he immediately looked around to see a full grown male buffalo was being flung around in circle but something hidden in the grass. Astonished and terrified that he did not know where America had gone, he sprinted toward the rotating beast. He called the toddler's name as he parted grass all around until he found out that the boy was the one who was flinging the beast around effortlessly as if it were a simple stuffed bunny.

Arthur gaped at the laughing boy, blown away at the absurdity of this. He shook himself out his stupor and realized that America was strong, but this didn't change the fact the Arthur was angry at the boy for being so unruly and unfair. Why couldn't he have been so strong when he that small?

He was yanked out of his deep reverie at a relentless rapping at his door. Groaning, Arthur pulled his head from out his arms and walked toward the front door. Why did he miss America so much? It didn't seem fair that he favored him more than Matthew. Matthew has been loyal to him for a very long time unlike America who has been pestering him constantly about his independence. He liked that Canada was hard-working and much more mature than his older brother and he tries to make the best of things. It makes him feel bad that sometimes he cannot recall his name or let alone who he is sometimes. Now that he thinks about America more and more, new feelings are beginning to form for him. These feelings to him feel taboo even though he and America are not blood brothers, but it makes him feel like a pedophile for some reason. They may look about the same age, but they are really centuries apart.

But the burning feelings remained in his heart, no matter how much he tried to tell himself that he didn't.

The knocking was steadily growing louder and faster and Arthur felt his patience slowly ebb away for the moron who was knocking at his door. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" He shouted as opening the door. Something seemed to snap in his brain as he saw who was standing at his door step. Francis. Arthur did not need France now, nor would he ever want the company of the Frenchman. "Bonjour mon cher England!" The blonde man cried warmly and opened his arms to hug the shorter one, but Arthur hastily closed the door. There was a sharp cry from the other side of the door and he looked down to see a foot interfering with the contact between the door and the doorway.

Growling, he opened the door and invited the Frenchmen inside. France was dressed in his usual, fashionable, uniform of a blue coat and red pants with boots. His long blonde hair was practically glowing with health and so were his lovey-dovey blue eyes. "Where are the boys?" He asked as helping himself to the refrigerator, probably looking for wine. "America and Canada are at College and what do you want, Frog?" Arthur snapped matter-of-factly as sitting back down in his chair, attempting to sort out the mess on the table.

"Oh nothing much, I was just hoping that I would be able to see my little brother. I also happened to be in the town and decided to drop by," He said as succeeding in finding a bottle of wine in the back of the Englishmen's fridge. "If you are so keen on visiting Matthew, why don't you call before you come over? You are aware that we are currently in the twenty-first century and there are phones." He glared at France as he made a childish look of disgust as he took a sip to the cheap wine he bought at a supermarket for Christmas last year, but had forgotten about it until now.

France merely made a _tsk _sound as he poured the wine down the drain of the sink. "I can only escape work so much mon cher, I don't have the time to make a call." Green eyes rolled scornfully in their sockets. "Is that the reason why you gave Matthew to me so long ago?" The blonde man froze and pain shadowed his eyes.

"No," He whispered softly.

"Then why did you? Why won't you tell me Francis? For years, for centuries you refuse to tell me why you gave Matthew to me. Tell me now," Arthur urged.

Francis slowly turned around to face the man sitting at the table. He was taken aback of how tired and suddenly old Francis looked. Usually, he was energetic, happy, and a bit horny, but now he looked the opposite. His blue eyes were raw and black circles were underneath them and his face looked a bit hollow. The stubble on his chin might as well be gray with the tired and old look he was giving Arthur.

"I was going through a lot then mon cher. I couldn't afford to support him then. I thought I told you that did I not?"

"Yes, but I want to know the truth, Frog."

The blonde man sighed and ran a hand through his long hair that seemed dull now. "I'll tell you what, how about I tell you at Christmas where I'm not as busy. I really should be going now, I have a lot of things to do."

With that, France was gone.

~;~

I woke up a bit later than usual the next morning and whined a bit in protest at a prodding sensation in my lower back. "Matvey~ . . . Matveeeeeeeey~ . . . _Matvey~!_" I squirmed as it jabbed a sensitive part in my back and yanked the covers over my head. The blankets vanished suddenly and giant hands grabbed my ankles and began to drag me off the bed. My eyes shot open and I clawed at the sheets in terror, thinking that it was a zombie trying to eat me for breakfast.

"Wahg! Don't eat me zombie! I'm bony and nasty! You won't like me! Eat my brother! He has a lot more meat than me! Oh sweet mother of maple, don't eat me!" I screamed as being dragged onto the floor. My vision was fuzzy, for I didn't have time to put them on, and I glanced up at a freakishly tall shape above me and I felt like I was going to piss my pants. The shadow slowly sat down in front of me and I tried to scramble away, but the zombie grabbed me by the wrists and pinned my feet down with its knees.

I cringed and waited for the zombie to drag my helpless soul to Hell.

"Matvey? Why are you so scared all of a sudden? It's only me, Ivan," A soothing voice whispered somewhere where my weak eyes could not see. Then reality pounded down on me and I was immediately embarrassed at the absurdity of thinking that zombies actually did exist. Warm and strong arms wrapped around me and my face was buried into Ivan's worn scarf. Hesitantly, I hugged him back lightly and breathed in his scent. It wasn't as I imagined up close. He smelt of vodka, snow, and a faint fragrance of sweat. "Sorry Ivan, I was just being stupid . . . Um, you can let go now," I said awkwardly, blushing furiously in his scarf.

Russia obeyed slowly, acting as if he never wanted to let go. He helped me up and I asked him if we wanted anything for breakfast. He claimed that he already ate and I made myself a toaster strudel and gave Kuma a fish for breakfast. The little bear was still asleep in my bed despite the frantic battle earlier. Once I ate, I decided that I should start on some of my homework for a while and then take a break at noon. I set my stuff on the table and started my tireless work for perfection on my report and then move to the other assignments.

The hours seemed to drag by slowly, taunting me with the fact that there was going to be a break in a few hours ahead. The clock on my laptop finally said it was around noon and I heaved a huge sigh of relief. Slowly getting up and out of my chair, I stretched my back and my arms and wiggled my toes before scooping up Kuma and walking out of the dorm. Ivan had left the dorm earlier, probably getting frustrated with his work or gave up to go somewhere.

The hall was quiet except for some noises of stirring and music feeding through the stone walls. I met Prussia at the end of the hall and we started walking toward the front doors so we could wander about in the courtyard. We discussed the usual stuff. Homework, kids who we don't like, kids that we do like, our classes, and so on. We reached the courtyard and it was a murky and humid day which promised some more rain. The ground was muddy and puddles gathered in places within the grass and we decided to sit down on a bench in front of the fountain. The fountain was made of white marble and had a sculpture of planet Earth with gold bars of latitude and longitude criss-crossing around it. Water sprayed out from the top and splashed down into the basin below.

As we were conversing about a girl in our Food class being knocked up, I spotted a flash of a scarf go around a corner to go behind the main campus. I narrowed my eyes and said that I needed to go back to work and left Prussia on the bench. I slowly went round the school to the back where the soaked football field stood empty. Almost. I heard an angry shout and a string of curses coming from around the other corner. There was also a third voice that was chanting someone to bite his ear off.

Cautiously, I snuck around the corner and I felt my heart leap to my throat. There were two guys grappling on the ground and a third standing at a safe distance away from the fight and egged them on. I saw a fair blonde head get held in a headlock and the second guy laughed haughtily in the person's face. "You going to give up now Ivan? You going to run home and cry to mommy? Oh wait, you don't have one!" The other guy was a tall guy that must've been a sophomore or junior here and he had shaggy brown hair that hung in his cruel green eyes and I knew he wasn't a nation. I glimpsed angry red-violet eyes and suddenly, the perpetrator was flung back against the wall and I saw Ivan throw a powerful punch in the other's jaw.

Again and again, Ivan gave the boy a knuckle-sandwich until his knuckles had a nice coat of blood on them. The third guy fleed from the scene, cackling and throwing insults over his shoulder as he went on his merry way. Ivan threw the second down on the ground and stalked off toward where I stood frozen in shock. He stopped suddenly and his big purple eyes looked at me innocently. I said nothing and ran off, terrified that he might come after me. "Wait, Matvey!" He called from behind me, but I ran faster. Suddenly, I tackled to the ground by something big and heavy. I screamed and started to frantically flail and scrabble at the ground.

Giant hands grabbed me and spun me around to face him, but I tried to wiggle away from his grasp, but his grip was firm and would not let me go. "Let me go!" I cried as squeezing my eyes shut and looking away. "Matvey, let me explain! I was only teaching that boy to not mess with countries!" I stopped trying to escape and gave him an angry look. "You didn't need to beat to crap out of him though! You could've ignored him or you could've told him to shut the hell up! Let me go, Ivan!" I snarled as flailing furiously.

"Matvey, you and me both know that doesn't work! Sometimes you have to hurt someone to make them stop." He explained softly, his grip on my wrists loosening a bit. "I didn't hurt you," I muttered darkly, looking away. Ivan fell silent and I blushed a bit at his closeness. "I suppose you're right Matvey . . ." Ivan removed his hands from my wrists and I inwardly shivered at how he gently brushed his fingertips against my skin. Why was he so nice all of a sudden? Why did he have the need to touch me all the time? I'm not complaining I guess, but it seems very odd.

How can he be so gentle to me yet such a jackass to other people, including his sister? Questions crammed my head as he helped me up from the wet concrete. I dashed off as soon as I regained my balance and closed my door to the dorm and slowly sat down at the table. I tried to continue my homework, but nothing seemed to make sense. Sighing in defeat, I packed my things and set my bag in its spot on my chair. I picked up Kuma again who was pawing at my leg gently and I curled up on my bed with the little bear pressed comfortingly against me.

"What's wrong?"

"A lot of things Kumazinu . . ."

I told Kuma everything that I felt and the bear listened and tried to stay awake as much as he could, but he failed and dozed off. I disregarded his slumber and whispered on into his ear, as if he would remember when he would wake up. I finished and felt drained and old. I stroked Kuma's sleeping form slowly and drifted off into a confused sleep.

_(Ivan)_

Ivan felt awful. He felt like he had punched the Canadian in the mouth or something. He needed to hit something, bad. Growling, Ivan turned to a wall and punched it as hard as he could. Pain ached in his knuckles and his own blood bled from the open wounds on his hand. The wall had now a spider-web crack in the side and bits of stone crumbled away and onto the concrete. Why did he have to snap today? Why did he have to beat the snot out of that boy today? A suffocating feeling filled his lungs and he felt sad. He never felt this way before; this nameless feeling troubled him as he tried to place what it was.

He clutched his chest and slowly sunk down to the ground and hugged his knees. Remorse. He felt remorseful for the first time in his life.

~;~

_A/N: I had a head start on this chapter so I kinda threw this chapter together. I apologize if this was a bit sloppy and just not good, I wrote this earlier this morning. I threw in a bit of a bonus in the beginning so I hope you all like it better than I do. Uhg, I'll probably have the sixth chapter up by the end of the week this time if I'm able to sneak on during the week. See you all later!_

_REVIEW PLEASE!_

_c(^^c)_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Now for the chapter you've all been waiting for . . . Chives? . . . CHIVES!_

_What? Oh! Sorry! *plays dramatic music*_

_Fantastic! Now go away and get me a soda!_

_-.- Yes ma'am . . ._

_~;~_

"What's the matter Birdie? You haven't said a word for the past three days." I was sitting with Gilbert and Alfred outside in our usual spot under the tree, studying for a test in Agriculture while we were at lunch. "I haven't gotten a good night's rest for a while Gil," I lied as looking down at my study-sheet. Things have been a bit rough for me since that incident three days ago. Ivan hadn't spoken to me or even looked at me since then and it made me feel kind of bad. I already miss the Ivan I had to hold and comfort to 'make the monsters go away'. I was a bit curious about what he meant by that, but I didn't want to talk to him or even ask him about it, feeling as though I'm sticking my nose somewhere it shouldn't be.

It was a bit cool for the constant heat of summer and the fragrance of fall carried through the breeze as it swept by. Gilbert gave me a disbelieving look but dropped it and continued to study. Al looked like he wanted to say something but, shockingly, kept his mouth shut. It seems that he finally installed a "Shut up" filter in his head (about time). Silence hung over us like a looming storm cloud until it was shattered by a loud, _bong-bong!_ I instantly knew who it was and was crushed in a bone shattering, not to mention terrifying, hug. "Hello Matvey! I'm so sorry that I was late, Professor Langwae had to speak to me after class," Katyusha cried as flinging down next to me on her stomach, bouncing back a bit on her chest.

"What did Professor Midget want?" Alfred asked, peering over the top of his glasses to look at her. "She just wanted to congratulate for scoring perfectly on our past quiz." Her voice seemed to have a bit of gloating in it, which she should since even I didn't score perfect on it. Half an hour passed and the bell rang, shrilling at us to get up and go to our next class. "Mattie! I forgot to tell you that tomorrow Iggo is coming to visit!" America said as I packed my stuff. "That's good I suppose," I murmured before heading off to Food. It's not that I'm not happy that Iggy is coming to visit it's just that it seems to be a bit of a bad time.

I have no idea why I feel so awful. I can barely sleep at night anymore, food is not of interest, and I didn't seek for someone to talk to. Perhaps the cause of my mood was Ivan? No, he couldn't be because he deserved to be yelled at. Whenever I think that, Ivan's helpless and terrified face flashes through my mind and I cringe at the thought that I yelled at him. Uhg, I'm being way too dramatic about this.

During Food and Agriculture, I had a bit of a hard time with paying attention for I kept on spacing out during class discussions. Ivan was the only thing on my mind. Did I have a crush on him? Oh God no . . . no, no, no, no, no, no! I do not have a crush on Ivan and even if I did it would not work out. Prussia and America hated his guts and they would try to kill him if they found out and get themselves killed in the process.

But I suppose I am slightly attracted to him. Wait, no! BAD CANADA! I slapped myself across the face and Professor Corn stopped abruptly in his lecture and gave me the weirdest look he could muster along with some other students. "U-Uh, I'm sorry Professor Corn, you can continue it was nothing," I flushed in embarrassment and threw my head down on my desk with a loud _clunk!_ There were a few giggles before Professor Corn proceeded with his speech. Wonderful, the hillbilly teacher thinks I'm a freak now. The bell rang and I bellyached my way to the locker rooms for Tactics, by far my least favorite subject.

Today we are going to have to grapple our gym partners in front of everyone. This is going to be even more embarrassing than slapping myself across the face in Agriculture. I changed into a red T-shirt and black shorts and stood by Cuba. We stood there in an awkward silence for a while before the dark-skinned boy cleared his throat. "I heard what happened in Agriculture today, everyone thinks you're a freak now," He muttered a bit awkwardly, scuffing his heels into the grass. "It's not the first time I've been called that," I whispered more to myself than to the other who didn't seem to hear.

It was true though. I've been called a lot worse in high school, so I can take this. Russia stalked out of the locker room wearing a tight, sleeveless, navy blue shirt that stretched across his chest and clung to his muscly figure. My heart fluttered in my chest and felt like I couldn't breathe for a moment, a sudden feeling filling up my lungs. Blood crept to my cheeks and my body felt like it was on fire. Red-violet eyes suddenly locked with my indigo ones and I quickly looked away, shaking my head furiously from my stupor. Cuba gave me a teasing smirk and he prodded my arm playfully. "Ooo~ Mateo has a crush on Russia." He cooed. "I-I do not!" I retorted, flushing furiously. "Your face says other-wise Mateo amigo," Cuba pressed with a ridiculous look on his face.

Before I could say anything back, Professor Caliber, or what I like to call him, the Executioner barked at us that we were to do our daily stretches with our partners. Cuba flashed a smile at me and bade me good luck before going off to find his partner. Ivan suddenly appeared in front of me, making me jump in surprise. A small smile played at his lips and I had a thought of kissing them, but I mentally kicked myself. No, you no like Ivan. You no like Ivan! I chanted this in my head as we completed our stretches and the marathon run around the school. The Executioner led us all back inside and into the basketball court where there was a large white mat on the floor in the center.

It looked over stuffed, but suitable to fall on. Professor Caliber called off two names that I didn't quite catch and I looked around stupidly. I saw a fair blonde head make its way to the mat and I groaned a bit. At least the Executioner was merciful enough to let me go first. I shakily approached the mat, feeling as though my legs were about to give out. I gulped as I slipped off my shoes and stepped out into the mat to face Ivan. I tried my best to keep my gaze on his face or on the floor but his body kept on distracting me. His arms looked very strong and I longed to grip his broad shoulders while he –

OH GOD STOP IT MATTHEW!

I kicked myself and winced at the strange look that the Russian gave me. It was adorable how his eyebrows raised high up on his forehead and that strange look in his big violet eyes. I bit my tongue furiously and drilled my glowered at the mat we were standing on. I didn't hear Professor Caliber blow the whistle and I was suddenly tackled to the floor. I yelped and quickly rolled out of Ivan's arms and jumped onto his back, hoping that there was enough weight on me to wear him down. Unfortunately, I was wrong and Ivan easily flipped over onto his back, crushing me under his brutish weight. The wind was knocked from my lungs and I wormed myself out from under him and grabbed for a headlock but the blonde was too quick.

Swiftly, he grabbed me by the middle and threw me over his shoulder and onto the floor. I gasped again as I couldn't breathe and lay stunned on the ground. I snapped out of my stunned state when I felt a tug on my arm. I yanked my arm away and looped my arm around his neck and squeezed as hard as I could. Russia growled something under his breath and began to thrash around wildly until he felt my grip slip and he made a bold move of rolling forward, making my weight a disadvantage in the situation.

I snarled as I was again crushed underneath him and made to wriggle out again, but Russia pressed back harder, his weight stressing against my ribs and I could feel my guts squishing together. I bet you all enjoyed that mental image. Hissing in frustration, I weakly tapped the mat and Professor Caliber blew the whistle.

Ivan let me go and offered a hand to help me up. The chatter in the group immediately silenced and wide eyes watched in disbelief that Ivan offered help. I myself was shocked. He just kicked my ass at a grappling thing (which is no surprise) and now he is actually offering to _help me?_ I did not see that coming. I predicted that he would have gloated or possibly killed me, but this? Holy crap, the world's going to end! Run for your lives! _Smack! _Shut up, you're acting like a school girl trying to talk to some guy she likes. Now grow some balls and take Ivan's damn hand and get up off your ass or you'll just look even more stupid.

Slowly, I clasped my hand in Russia's and he gently pulled me up to my feet. "U-Uh . . . Thanks," I stuttered like an idiot. God, do yourself a favor and shut your mouth Canada and a freaking grip. Russia smiled at me slightly and I felt my heart skip a beat. No! Stop it dammit! Heart! Do your freaking job right! I forced myself not to blush and scurried off to Cuba who stood there with his damn grin on his face. I fixed my look down at my shoes and pretended to be intently interested in them for the rest of class. My back ached and so did the rest of my body, but I tried my best not to show how much pain I was in.

As soon as the Executioner dismissed us, I dashed to the locker room and quickly changed before slipping out to leave but I was stopped by a large hand gripping my shoulder. I felt my body heat up again and my heart spaz out and I mentally cursed myself. I slowly turned to face Russia and he looked down at me with tender eyes. "Um . . . I'm sorry Matvey." I tilted my head up to look at him and gave him a wavering smile. "No, I'm sorry Ivan . . . for everything."

My heart stopped at that smile he gave me. I was frozen to my spot at how . . . nice it was on his face. The smile was short lived and he frowned a bit and it made me frown. "I was wondering Matvey . . . would you like to . . . I don't want this to sound awkward or uncomfortable or stupid but . . . ?"

". . ."

"Matvey, are you okay?"

My mind completely went blank.

Oh.

My.

Maple-hockey.

Come one man, pull yourself together and say yes! I don't know what to do! Ahg!

((We're sorry, but Rawr9 is experiencing some technical difficulties, you will only hear audio for a few moments while Matthew tries to sort this out because Rawr9 is too lazy to write out the whole internal war with himself and blah, blah, blah,))

"Oh Ivan~!"

"Matvey~!"

"Nng! Uhg,"

_Smooch, smack, smack, kiss!_

((APRIL FOOLS! Okay back to the story –no that was not part of the story-))

I shook my head furiously and looked up at Ivan who looked back at me hopefully. "I'd love to," I grinned up at him. "Wonderful! We'll leave at nine!" Ivan seemed to have relaxed greatly and was relieved that I accepted his request. I waved at him and scurried away up to our dorm. Words could not describe how excited and happy I was to go see a movie with the giant. I danced around the room and Kuma rose his head sleepily and watched me flail wildly around as I picked out some clean clothes. I selected my black Pac-man shirt with some dark blue jeans that I usually wore on occasions that demanded to wear something casual. I text messaged Al and Gil that I was going to be out tonight with a friend of mine. I didn't tell them with whom for I was afraid that they would prevent me from going out with Ivan. I then proceeded to fix my loop-de-loop curl. I combed my hair and placed an unnecessary amount of hairspray into my hair ((I hate it when people do that .)). There was enough hairspray in the room that if someone were to light a match in here, we would all die in the explosion ((I am very tempted to do this one day!)).

I finished fixing myself up and looked down at the time on my phone. 7:43. Dammit, I have to go work now. I whined as I pulled out the mountain of homework and began to work on it to pass the time. At one point I had to open the window so I could get the stench of hairspray out of the room and I then continued my work. Ivan came in around eight thirty-ish and said that we were leaving now. I smiled and quickly put my stuff away and joined Ivan in the doorway. "You look great," He said in a robotic tone as if he was nervous. "Thanks," I answered shyly as looking away while we walked down the hall.

We didn't talk much on our way to the parking garage, for both of us were both a bit nervous and shy around each other. We arrived at the third level of the garage and politely, he opened the door to his black convertible for me. I sat down in the leather seats quietly as Ivan eased down in the driver's side and made the roof pull back mechanically into the back of the vehicle. I bit my lip as I knew that my hard work of doing my hair would almost literally go out the window. The car purred to life and there was soft music coming out of the speakers. I gasped as I recognized the song and immediately cranked it up and Russia gave me a surprised look as he pulled out.

I didn't care much at the moment because I was singing along to the radio.

"_I want you to love me~ like I'm a hot ride~!"_

How I love the song _Only Girl_ _by Rihanna_. Little did I know was that Ivan was intently listening to me sing while he drove down the crowded streets of the city. I enjoyed the feeling of the wind pressing against my face and running through my hair like feather-light fingers. I purred a bit as the song ended and eased back into my seat when the next song came on. I didn't care much for it so I turned it back down to its previous volume. "I like your voice Matvey, you're really good at singing," Ivan smiled at me warmly and I beamed back. I like this new Ivan.

We spent the rest of the ride in an awkward silence until Ivan finally parked in the local cinema. We walked to the doors and Ivan insisted on paying for the tickets and the popcorn. I disgruntledly placed my wallet back into the back of my jeans and we headed off to our movie. Ivan insisted that we sit in the front and I relunticly agreed. Again we sat in an uncomfortable silence with us picking at the popcorn here and there. The lights dimmed and the previews scrolled by and I looked at the man who sat next to me. His hair appeared to be a snowy silver in the weak light and I could just make out his profile in the dark. His eyes glanced at me and I quickly looked back up at the screen.

Perhaps I should have asked what movie Ivan had picked out because there was an unearthly screech and an ugly and distorted face popped up on the large screen which me about fling our popcorn into the air. Oh dear lord, I was stuck in a dark theater with a zombie movie going on. I instinctively clung to Ivan's arm as the film progressed and it became even more gory and disgusting, burying my screaming face into his scarf at some point in time. The film ended with everyone dying and I was dragged out of the theater.

"That was awesome but so gross on so many levels," I groaned as throwing our half-empty popcorn bag into the trash bins as we made our exit. "I suppose they could've dialed back on the blood a bit, but the gore was just right for me," Russia hummed contently as I continued to cling to his arm. "I had fun at least. Thanks for everything," I whispered as we stopped at his car in the parking lot.

The Russian giant looked down at me with tender eyes and I gazed back, diving deep into those red-violet pools. I was perfectly aware that we were slowly drawing closer together and I felt my heart pound in my ears. His lips were _right there!_ Eagerly, I closed the distance between us and lightly pressed my lips against his.

A kiss wasn't anything like what I have read in books or on the internet (what? I like romance). Words couldn't describe the feeling that was welling up in my chest as Ivan gently kissed back. His lips were warm and smooth against mine and it felt really good. I would give anything to stay like this forever; kissing Ivan after watching a really gory zombie movie.

_(Ivan)_

_Matthew was beautiful even if he wasn't even trying. He could take his breath away at the slightest touch and his heart felt as if it were about to burst. Matthew was his missing puzzle piece and he made him feel complete and almost sane. He was about the only sane thing in his life. Ivan, too, would give anything just to stay like this forever and until the end of time._

~;~

_A/N: Here's the chapter! Sorry again if the "grappling" match was suckish. I really can't write action very well. But hope you all enjoyed and perhaps I'll have the next chapter up soon. Oh yeah, the hairspray thing was my sister's idea! XD Thank you sis!_

_REVIEW PLEASE!_

_c(^^c)_


	7. Chapter 7

"Wahg! Ivan what are you doing!"

Ivan simply growled affectionately in my ear and wrapped his arms around my waist and was beginning to tug me away from my breakfast. I blushed deeply and put my spoon down with a sigh, abandoning my Lucky Charms. My heart fluttered and soared around in my chest, beating the crap out of my lungs which made me virtually breathless at how close Ivan was to me.

I was beginning to learn not to forget about Ivan, for he was determined to have my attention when I wasn't doing anything important. I felt him smile and kissed my ear lightly, which made me blush even deeper. Chuckling, he gently led me over to the bunk beds and laid down on the storm cloud gray sheets, scooting over towards the wall so there would be room for me. My cheeks began burn at what he was intending to do and before I could refuse, he yanked me down next to him and trapped me in his arms.

I tried to escape desperately, feeling that this was going too fast for me but Ivan's hold was firm. Sighing in defeat, I let Ivan snuggle close to me. It's not that I don't like cuddling with him; I just feel that this whole relationship is going too fast for my liking. I bit back a purr when he nuzzled the back of my neck and pressed soft lips against my skin.

A shiver went through my spine and I wiggled around to face him. My eyes were immediately locked with red-violet ones and a small content smile curled at my lips. We sat there for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, just staring at each other. I propped myself up on one elbow to get a better look at him and he looped a possessive arm around my hips and the other played with my hair. I purred happily at the feeling of his fingers going through my hair.

I slowly placed a hand over his and played absently with his fingers, smiling. Ivan slowly lent up closer to me and I knew what he wanted. I pecked one of his fingers and pressed a timid kiss against his lips.

My heart seemed to then drop dead at the pure pleasure I was feeling and I could finally breathe a bit normally. The gentle giant pressed back and I savored the feeling of his lips against mine which made that indescribable feeling fill me up to the brim again.

I opened my mouth to deepen our embrace and I was quickly snapped out the spell when I felt something wet and slimy lick at my bottom lip. I recoiled in fear and Ivan gave me a concerned and frightened look. "I'm sorry Matvey! I-I don't know what came over me I –" I soon realized that I was being stupid and quickly smashed my lips back against his, sparing him the apology.

((Oh yeah! Canada being naughty! *drooly face* Oh yeah and this serves as a warning to all who are a bit squeamish of make-out scenes so you may want to skip this . . .))

Ivan groaned softly and nibbled my bottom lip, as if he was asking for entry. I obliged and open my mouth to let his hot tongue do a thorough exploration of my mouth. It made me cringe a bit, feeling the nagging feeling of wanting to wash my mouth out with a gallon of Lysol and a scrub brush, but it felt _really _good.

Moaning, I grabbed a handful of his soft hair and tangled my fingers in it. Russia gently pushed me down on my back. I felt panic rise up in my throat and my mind was screaming to stop yet it was demanding more at the same time. I felt as if I was about to burst out into flames it was so hot. His hands drew small circles in my lower back and it made my skin crawl in the good way.

I tugged a bit harder at his hair and groaned throatily into our kiss. Strings of saliva tied us together and Russia would lap them up hungrily. Oh my god, this was so hot. I have never been kissed in my life and I am sure as hell enjoying it now. The Russian's kisses were now beginning to wander away from my bruised lips and left a wet trail down my jaw. I purred and arched my back against him, making his hands fist up into the fabric on his T-shirt.

What he did next made my inner beast escape from its prison and roar triumphantly. Ivan licked, kissed, and nibbled at my collar bone and it made me almost scream. I made a small shriek and turn my head to one side to give him more access to my neck, panting heavily in lust. Pangs of pleasure rang through me as his nibbles turned into hungry bites and Ivan began to claw at my back like he was some kind of wild animal.

I hissed and gasped and demanded for him to bite me harder. He happily accepted and sank his teeth into the soft flesh below my throat. Pain turned into sick pleasure and I felt as if I was drugged. My fingers dug into his scalp as I felt blood begin to trickle down my neck. His hot tongue made long licks at the blood and I opened one eyes to look at this magnificent man who continued to clean up to wound. His eyes were glazed over with a blood-lust and something I could guess at. Love? No, we only started going out for one day, he can't already be falling for me. Or can he?

He finished his job of thoroughly tending to the wound and brought his lips to mine again with a soft kiss. I made a pouty face up at him and he only smiled and brushed a hair behind my ear. "I already did enough damage to you Matvey. You should go put a bandage on that before it gets infected." I looked down at my collar and saw something red and purple stain my skin. I rolled off the messed up sheets and dashed to the bathroom and looked into the mirror.

((STOP HERE FOR THOSE WHO SKIPPED!))

My hair was a total mess and there was a shallow bite mark at my throat along with a hickey the size of (no pun intended) well . . . Russia. I gasped and put hand over my mouth as it all came crashing down on me. Oh my god, I just made out with _Russia!_ I ripped the drawers open that were under the sink and fished out a first aid kit and yanked out a roll of gauze and disinfectant. I winced as I tenderly wiped the wound down with the alcohol and tightly wrapped the bandages around my throat and fastened it together with a small safety pin.

As I did this I brewed up a story that would explain the bandage around my throat. I sighed and put the first aid kit away and cleaned up my mess. Reappearing in the room, Ivan gave me a sad frown and looked away. "It's okay Russia, I had fun. It doesn't even hurt." I grinned mischievously at him and he returned it.

I approached him and pecked him on the forehead and ruffled his already messed up hair. "I'll be gone for a while Ivan. My older brother is coming to visit, but I'll be back by evening." Ivan flashed me a malicious smile and it sent a shiver down my spine. "I'll be waiting Matvey," He growled in his throat. I purred and gave him a kiss goodbye.

The moment I closed the door behind me, I heaved a great sigh and leaned back against it. Holy crap things are flying by. My mind was still buzzed by the events from earlier and I numbly walked across the hall to the door it provided. I was about to knock when I heard some muffled sounds that emanated through the door. I pressed my ear against it and heard hushed groans from inside. Sweden must be in there with Finland getting it on like he and Russia was. I opened the door and froze in shock.

You know how you should never assume? I think that this would help me remember that. I found my brother, America, chewing on Iggy's face like he would with a hamburger. I rubbed my eyes as I did not believe in what I was seeing and gaped at them as they proceeded to do the nasty and moan. "Um . . .?" There was a comical wet _"pop!"_ as they both pulled out of their raunchy embrace and looked over at me.

Someone might as well run through the room with a giant sign that read "BUSTED!" and beat them upside the head with them. Their expressions were completely priceless and the humor of the situation finally hit me. Laughter ripped through my sides and I cackled madly like a schizophrenic psycho would. They were simply boggled at my insane and not to mention creepy laughter that was slowly fading away now. "I guess I could say I saw that one coming!" I giggled before going into another fit of laughter.

"W-What do you mean by that? You're not mad? Shocked? Creeped out?" Alfred said in an unfitting nervous voice. "No, why would I be mad? I was practically waiting for this to happen! You should've seen your faces!" I shouted. "W-What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked as diving behind America to hide his flushed face. "It was obvious that you guys liked each other. America would – wait no, maybe not you Al . . . an idiot could've determined that! Oh my maple, that was hilarious!"

I felt as though I was going to pee my pants because I was laughing to hard. I finally stopped laughing after about ten or so minutes later and recollected myself. "Why is there a bandage around your neck Matthew? What happened?" My mind screeched to a stop and I gulped as touching the bandages lightly. "Kuma had a bad dream last night and accidentally clawed me. It's nothing Iggy." I absolutely hated that I had to lie to him, but it would save Ivan's and America's hide.

"If you say so Mattie," Al mumbled. There was a few moments of awkward silence before I decided to break the ice. "What should we do today Iggy?"

"Um . . . perhaps we could go out somewhere; perhaps somewhere calm and not an amusement park or a movie." Arthur shot a glare at Al who looked greatly disappointed and hung his head to prove his point. "We could go to the Aquarium, seem calm enough Iggy?" I suggested hopefully. "Okay! To the aquarium!" Al cried as heroically scooping the Englishman up into his arms and dashing out the door. I chuckled as Big Brother Britain shouted at the boy who had a superhero complex to put him down.

I was forced to jog just to keep up with them – well, with Al at least. He found the old red, white, and blue Cadillac after getting lost several times and getting slapped senseless by an angry Brit. I squeezed into the back as Al cranked up the radio which blasted the song _You're Gonna Go Far Kid__ by The Offspring_ and Iggy starting up the car. Thank god Al didn't care much for the song and didn't along to it, but kept it at a bone rattling volume, probably wanting to annoy his elder 'brother'. I watched the satisfied smirk crawl onto his lips as Iggy began to grit his teeth in annoyance.

A half an hour or so passed while we pulled into a large parking lot that was about two-thirds of the way filled up. The aquarium was a bit smaller than the college I went to and the outer walls were made of blue tinged glass and intersecting white metal bars criss-crossed across it. A large fountain stood up into front with stairs going round it and up to the glass revolving doors that had pictures of aquatic creatures plastered against the glass along with an advertisement for petting sharks.

The fountain had a large black statue of a humpback whale rising up out of a sculpted splash of water that sprayed out water in a thin mist. The whale spat out a strong current of water from its blow hole which rose in a graceful arc and fell with a pounding splash into the pool below. I noticed that there were coins shimmering under the rippling waters of the fountain. A notice proclaimed that the funds they received by this it would be donated to children that lived in poverty all over the world.

I fished out four quarters from my back pocket and tossed them into the sparkling water and watched them sink down to the bottom of the basin. Arthur gave me a warm smile and tossed in a £2 coin as Al dug around in his pocket before tossing in a few dimes and nickels.

After making our donation, we pushed through the revolving doors and into the main room (Al of course made a second trip round). The main room was considerably large and was furbished with deep blue tiling and glass fish and other marine animals hung on the walls. Large, rippling slabs of metal that were painted a dark green crawled up the walls and resembled seaweed. I smiled as I realized that they had those helium floating dolphins and penguins gracefully zooming about in the air about us ((there are seriously flying dolphins and penguins! I saw it on TV! They are very mesmerizing to watch even though I've never seen them in person, but they are very pretty!)).

Arthur paid the entry fee to a nice elderly women who sat the main desk that was made to look like a coral reef. She directed us to a dark hall to our left and gave us a map of the aquarium should we get lost. I shoved the map into my pocket and led the way down the hall as Arthur and Alfred lagged behind, holding hands last time I checked. The first area we came to was where you could take a picture of you standing inside the jaws of a shark. We stopped and took a few goofy pictures of us screaming in terror, acting dead, and Al saving us from the shark. In that picture I noticed that Arthur was giving his hero the googly eyes, which made me laugh.

We then came to the freshwater creatures section. Fish paddled about in their tanks lazily and children were constantly dragging their poor parents from tank to tank, badgering them to read the exhibit plate to them. I left Al and Arthur to watch the river otters play in the water of their tank and admired how natural they were at swimming. One of them stopped and gave me a curious look before being tackled from behind bit its friend.

I chuckled at them and continued our journey through the aquarium. We came the saltwater part and this is where things got interesting. Fish of all colors, shapes, and sizes were darting around in the water, making twirling vortexes and hiding shyly in the artificial coral. It was difficult to get Alfred's attention because there were too many pretty colors to be distracted by in here so we merely skimmed through.

Next was the jellyfish gallery. Jellyfish seemed to waltz with the classical music they played over the speakers. Their tanks were outlined with painted gold picture frames that would be found enclosed around a work of art. As I watched the jellyfish dance with each other, I pictured me and Ivan doing a ballroom dance together, dressed in clothes that were dated all the way back to about the 16th century. I shook my head as Arthur called out to me and said that we should be moving on.

We then found ourselves in a glass tube that went underwater and it made you duck as giant leather back sea turtles swam overhead and cringe when a shark would press its malicious face into the glass, as if they hoped to frighten a small child away to their parent's arms for comfort. I longed to run into Ivan's arms as another shark leapt out of nowhere and bared its needle-like teeth at me.

It made vivid memories come back to when Ivan was scary and almost murderous. I pushed them back as we exited the tunnel and the lights began to dim dramatically. There was a large painting of a great white shark barreling toward you which made Alfred yelp. We had entered the Dark and Dangerous section. Haunting and almost sci-fi music poured from hidden speakers that were somewhere in the dark shadows of the corners. Al had latched himself to Iggy's arm who simply rolled his eyes but did not object.

There tanks of frightening, yet sometimes beautiful sea creatures that looked at you with nothing but malice. I was mainly interested in the single lion fish that vainly sported its poisonous mane of quills that were streaked with brown and a creamy white. It flared its gills at me and I simply moved on to the snapping Amazon piranhas.

We soon arrived in the exhibit of prehistoric sea beasts. I examined the skeletons with interest, while Al and Iggy were far more interested with something else in the dark corner of the exhibit. After finally breaking them up, I led them to where the penguins honked and the light was regained. We sat in the stands in front of the large tank of penguins that propelled themselves swiftly through the water, showing off their amazing agility. Children ran up and down along the tank as if they were racing the flightless birds and it made me smile. I elbowed Alfred in the ribs when he was coaxing Arthur to do the nasty again with him and scolded that there were children and they did not deserve to be mentally scarred.

He rolled his blue eyes and we left the penguins and found the end of our journey in a gift shop crammed with over priced merchandise. Alfred bought Iggy a small stuffed seal which took it gratefully, which was strange for him for he did not like it when someone spends money for him. When we exited the aquarium is was around noon and Al was bellyaching that he was starving. We soon stopped at a steakhouse for lunch. I feel very sorry for the poor little waitress who tended to us because about every two seconds Al's glass of Coke was empty and demanded a refill.

Arthur snapped at him of how rude he was being to their waitress and Arthur was immediately more polite and apologized to her leaving her a generous tip. Arthur dropped us off at the school and I dashed to my dormitory, ignoring the fact that America had remained in the car with England, probably going to go parking.

As soon as I opened the door, I was yanked inside and pulled into a passionate kiss. How I missed those lips already and I kissed back lightly before showing him the pictures that we took at the aquarium about the whole trip. "We should go do something like that sometime Matvey," Ivan suggested with a smile. I returned the smile and gave him a swift kiss on the lips. A sudden thought crossed my mind as I pulled away.

I think I'm falling for Ivan?

~;~

_A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN! As you could see, I decided to throw in a super-hot make out thing in there :D I grew kind of nervous due to the fact that my mom was in the room the whole time I was writing that part O_O; Thank maple-hockey that she didn't try to see what I was doing XD But here's chapter seven and hope you all enjoyed! It's weird, I write better when I'm half asleep O_O_

_REVIEW PLEASE!_

_c(^^c)_


	8. Chapter 8

_I shall dedicate this chapter to my sister Rainbow Band Ninja715 since she gave me the basic idea of this chapter! Thank you big sis! ^3^_

~;~

"Oh my maple . . . that was so romantic!"

"How is a firefly falling in love with a star and two little frogs getting married suddenly romantic?"

I was leaned up against Ivan, bawling my eyes out at the pure beauty of the moment in the movie, The Princess and the Frog. "Shut up Ivan, I'm having a moment," I sobbed as lightly smacking him in the stomach. I heard him sigh and he wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my arm softly.

We have been dating for exactly a month now and currently we are still on first base just to let you know. You all know who you are. I wiped the tears away and smiled at him brightly who just rolled his red-violet eyes at me. I frowned gave him a harsh love tap on his knee and that made him grin.

Feeling satisfied with myself I snuggled closer to Ivan who played with my hair absently. We sat there in silence for a good while before I kissed him softly. The Russian kissed back and nibbled my lip sharply, making me groan.

((Naughty Canada again! :D For the squeamish, children, and elderly, serve this as a warning for there is going to be slight smex past this point! Please skip down to where you see in all caps "STOP HERE!" for I don't wish to be held responsible for any deaths, comas, mental scarring etc.))

Our sweet kiss slowly turned naughty and just plain hot. If rabid yoai fangirls were here, the aliens on Pluto would be able to hear their squeals, thus proving their theory of our existence. Teeth clashed together and tongues continued their epic battle of dominance as we made our animalistic sounds of pleasure. Ivan pushed me down on my back and began doing wonderous things to my neck, making me love-drunk. My eyes were wild and glazed over with sick pleasure.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked myself in place as purring his name in his ear. Ivan's big hands began to slowly claw at my shirt, making it ride up and expose my stomach. I gasped and my eyes widened as he gently stroked my belly, softly tickling it with his fingertips. My heart began to race and my cheeks flushed as I felt them trace the ridges of my hips and go round. I shivered as he teasingly moved his hands back up to my back and dug his fingers into my skin.

I panted and continued to play with his hair as he made another large hickey on my collar. I dug my face into the soft fabric of his scarf and nuzzled my way to the pale skin of his neck. Timidly, I nibbled his neck and was rewarded with a soft groan from Russia. Smiling, I bit down on his flesh and lapped at him before pulling my face out of his scarf. My breath caught in my throat as I felt his hands go south and I have a feeling that we are going to make it the second base.

But . . .

((STOP HERE!))

"Hey Mattie, can I borrow- . . . some . . . SWEET MOTHER OF BATMAN!"

I froze as I heard that familiar voice of America ring out from the doorway. Ivan didn't seem to notice because he continued to lap and bite at my neck. I tiled my head back to see my brother gripping the frame of the doorway for support and it looked like he had stumbled back in astonishment which was clearly written on his face.

"Psst, Ivan!"

"Hmm?"

"We're busted."

He pulled his face away from my neck and looked at America inconsiderately. "What the hell are you doing with my baby brother ya jackass?" My older brother roared and panic came crashing down on me. I scrambled out from under Ivan and kneeled before my brother who was seething in the doorway, hands fisted up and ready to strike.

"Attendez! Je peux vous expliquer! Ivan et moi sommes ensemble! S'il vous plaît essayer de comprendre et ne pas être un âne! S'il vous plaît!"

"What? Mattie, I can't understand Spanish or whatever you are speaking. Me . . . no . . . oblo . . . Foreign language!"

"Hey guys, what's going on? I heard French coming down from the hall so . . . Heilige Scheiße . . ."

Prussia had now joined the party and I flushed in embarrassment as I realized that Ivan had a defensive arm wrapped around me as I freaked out. "Hold on! I can explain!" I cried as holding my hands up. My two friends crossed their arms and casted disapproving glances over at Russia who glared coldly back.

"We were just um . . . eating ice cream? Yeah," I lied horribly, kicking myself at not thinking of a better excuse. "Eating ice cream? Off each other's faces? Mattie, I know I'm stupid but I'm not _that_ stupid. But that is a brilliant idea . . ." America stroked his chin as he spaced out in his own dirty thoughts and it was Gil's time to talk. "Why did you let _that_ chew on your face Birdie? That is totally unawesome of you."

Fury boiled under my skin and I narrowed my eyes at them. "I thought you guys were my friends. Friends are supposed to have each other's back and accept each other's decisions, not shoot them down. I happen to really like Ivan, yes in that certain way and you have no right to judge him or me. Al, I didn't freak when I caught you and Iggy doing the nasty, so why do you when I am kissing Ivan? I understand that you guys have some sort of history or whatever but I am not letting that stand in my way of what I truly want. So can you guys please accept me and Ivan and I am sorry for lying to you."

Gil and Al gave each other wary looks, unsure of what to say. I grabbed Russia's large hand and intertwined my fingers with his, seeking comfort. They sighed simultaneously gave Ivan a wary look and simply nodded. A smile stretched across my face and I flung myself at them, squeezing the life out of them. "Thank you guys! You're the best!" I cried as America ruffled my hair. He then narrowed his gaze at my boyfriend who remained on the floor by the bunk beds. "I have a few ground rules for you _Russia_. Rule number one: I want hands to be in sight at all times; Rule number two: You both have to let me know when you are going out and where; and Rule number three: If you break Mattie's heart I swear I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

Red-violet eyes met orphan blue and they threw shards of sharp glass at each other, daring for one to look away. "I promise you America, breaking Matvey's heart would be the last thing I would do." Al smiled stiffly and turned to me. "Shall we leave so you can continue your _business_?" He winked at me and elbowed me playfully in the ribs. "No, the moment has long since passed Al. You can stick around if you want." I shrugged and placed myself back into the Russian's waiting arms.

"Actually Mattie, are you and _Russia_ interested in going to that haunted house down on 55 North Avenue? I can ask is Iggy was to tag along so we can kind of have a double date excluding Gil of course." The albino smacked the American upside the head in a friendly matter and smiled. I swallowed hard and gave Ivan a frightened look who seemed deep in thought. I resisted an _"awwww"_ at how cute he looked when he thinks. "Um . . . I don't know about th – mph!" Ivan clamped a hand over my mouth before I could finish and I shot him an angry glare.

He ignored me and said that we would love to go as removing his hand from around my mouth. "Uh, great. I guess, we'll be leaving around six or something. Er, I'll see you guys there," Al said awkwardly as if he wasn't expecting it. He gave us a small wave before pulling Gil out of the room with him. As soon as the door closed, I turned to face Ivan who looked full of himself sitting there with that childish smile on his face. "You are aware that I'm a huge scaredy cat when it comes to haunted houses?" I raised an eyebrow at him which made him chuckle huskily and a shiver go down my spine again. Sheesh, if he keeps this up, I'm going to get paralyzed before World War VII.

"That's precisely my plan, my little hostage," He growled in my ear as rubbing my stomach. "Oh, I would love to hear your plan," I said sarcastically as placing my hands over his. "I wouldn't want to give away the surprise мой дорогой." That strange warm and fuzzy feeling curled up in my stomach and it made things do what they shouldn't as I heard those foreign words. Blushing furiously, I pried myself out of his arms and locked myself in the bathroom.

One highly embarrassing moment that I wish not to describe later . . .

Sighing, I reappeared to the room to see a grinning Russian laying on his bed in a goofy sexy pose. I laughed at him and patted him on his stomach before settling down next to him. I kissed him lightly before turning back to the laptop on the floor and the pile of movies sitting next to it. I picked to one that was on top which happened to be Toy Story 3. I put it in the disc drive of the laptop before sliding it back in. Russia raised an eyebrow at me with a "really?" look on his face.

"Don't give me that look."

"What is with you and little kid movies?"

"What is with you and gory horror movies?"

"Touché."

I smiled at him and playfully punched him in the face. After that, we both turned to the movie as it began with dramatic western music. "Didn't they already have recess? I mean, they were just playing with toys and now they're having recess? That doesn't seem relevant," Ivan mumbled disgruntledly. "Oh come on, they're kids. Their minds are consumed with playtime, snack time, and nap time. It's all they basically need to live and grow healthily," I explained as kissing his nose.

"I never had toys to play with, well unless if you counted the pipe I still have." I raised an eyebrow at him and propped myself up on my elbows. "What kind of childhood did you have?" His face darkened as if painful memories replayed in his mind. "Not a very good one. I can barely remember anything really. It's all chopped up into bits and pieces, but they are always full of blood and pain." I looked at him in shock. "I'm sorry Ivan. I bet it was hard," I whispered into his scarf as I hugged him.

"It was especially for my sisters, but let's just watch the movie."

I nodded and turned my head back to the laptop. I tried my best to enjoy it, but images of a young and frightened Ivan covered in blood, clutching a pipe in his little hands. We continued to watch movies together in silence except for pointing out plot holes and other things because we're just jackasses like that. We just finished watching Toy Story 3 for the third time because we were too lazy to change the movie. Also we were busy with uh . . . other things. "You should be more like Spanish mode Buzz Ivan," I sighed before catching his lips again with mine.

"I'll keep in mind to try and fail at learning to speak Spanish."

"Uh, if you guys are done we can be going now." I turned to see Al and Iggy standing in the doorway with Gil hovering in the background. I smiled nervously and pulled on my sweatshirt and shoes before taking Ivan's hand in mine and dragged him out with me and my friends slash brothers. America, Britain, and Prussia piled into the front of Prussia's pick up and it forced Ivan and I to sit in the back. I'm not sure if it's legal here, but we'll soon find out.

Iggy took the responsibility of driving and pulled out of the parking garage. We drove for about half an hour or so before we pulled into a crowded parking lot that stood in front of a large building that was about three stories high that was decked out with graffiti and fake blood splatters. In cryptic lettering it read:

_Your Worst Nightmare Awaits . . ._

I shivered and clung to Ivan's arm as we approached the line of people that waited for their turn to get scared out of their wits. There were a couple of actors dressed as creepy mimes or clowns that tried to creep them out. One of them apparently ate a live mouse that they found in their sleeve that made a group of girls screech. Ivan smiled in amusement while I put a hand over my mouth in disgust. We stood in line for about an hour before we were finally able to go into this house of horrors.

There were three themes, each on one floor. The first was the stereotypical insane asylum. Actors jumped out at you around corners screaming and practically spitting in your face. There was one who was standing over a dead guard's body, gutting it and shoving the intestines greedily into his mouth. I squeaked and dug my face into Ivan's back and gripped his shoulders tightly.

The second floor was another predictable but terrifying surgeon room gone bad. Operators were ripping their patience apart and nurses jumping out at you with bloody syringes. What made me scream like a little girl was that they barely had a scrap of clothing on them, practically flaunting their selves at you. Ivan erupted into a fit of laughter and so did everyone else and I felt as if I was about to die of embarrassment.

The last level was a giant room full of nothing but zombies, their bleeding guts falling to the floor and their rotten and broken fingers reaching out to rip you to shreds and eat you while you're still alive. I screamed again and was about to run like hell out of here but there was a sudden sound of gunfire and these two guys covered in blood popped out with machine guns and AKs and started to shoot the zombies. They gurgled and fell over but not dead yet. The two guys yelled at us to follow and Ivan grabbed my hand and we ran after them as they cleared a path for us to the exit.

As soon as you passed through the exit, you were pelted with T-shirts by cackling ghouls that hid behind gravestones. I gripped Ivan's hand as we walked out to the truck again. I was a nervous wreck after that. Iggy dropped Ivan, me, and Gilbert off at the school and he said that him and Al were going to go grab something to eat. I rolled my eyes and waved at them as they drove away down the crowded streets.

Ivan and I finally got to our dorm. "I am never going to another haunted house again," I groaned as falling face first down into his bed. "Oh come on, it was fun and you know it." Ivan kissed my fore-head and eased down next to me and gathered me up into his arms. There was a scratch at the edge of the bed and I turned to see angry black eyes.

"Food. Now."

"Sorry Kumasua, I forgot."

I gave the little bear a fish who cast a dirty look towards Ivan and scrambled back up onto the top bunk. "I think Kumajirou is feeling replaced," Ivan chuckled as I wrapped myself around him again. "He's going to have to get used to it then," I murmured into his shirt. We sat there for who knows how long and I slowly drifted away to sleep in Ivan's arms.

~;~

_It was cold. Not winter cold, but evil cold; the kind of cold that rattled your bones and made your blood turn to red ice. It was also dark, so dark that not light could penetrate. There was a scrap of metal against stone and ice cold fear trickled down my spine. A desk lamp was flicked on and shone in my eyes. I suddenly realized that I was naked and chained up with car chains. I gasped and scooted back up against the wall._

_Blood was splattered against the walls and there was a dark figure sitting in the corner opposite of me. In its hands was a pipe, stained with the scarlet liquid. The rancid smell of death reached my nose and it made me want to puke. The figure slowly stood up in one fluid movement and I caught a glimpse of red-violet eyes which made my heart stop. A familiar scarf was wrapped around his neck and he wore a long tan coat and big boots. _

_He slowly stepped into the light and I felt as if my heart stopped right there. He wore a maniac smile and his face was covered with crimson. I recoiled in terror and tried to back up further, but the wall was firm. It was Ivan. He raised his pipe high over his head and swung it down in a graceful arc down on me, making my bones splinter and a scream of pain rip through my throat. He continued to beat me with his pipe, over and over. Blood, my blood, flooded the floor as I begged for mercy. _

"_Why?"_

~;~

I woke up yelling and thrashing about. Those horrible red-violet eyes snapped open and I rolled off the bed. "Matvey! What's wrong!" He cried as he tried to touch me but I snarled and dove over into one corner. "Don't touch me! W-Why did you beat me? I d-don't unders-stand . . ." I broke down in tears. My heart felt as if it were torn up to a million tiny pieces and it could never be pieced together.

Ivan looked like I just slapped him across the face and slowly he approached my sobbing form. Tears drenched my hands and I flung myself into his torso. His fingers petted my hair gently as I continued to cry. "I-I'm s-s-sorry," I whimpered as I dug my fingers into the fabric of his shirt.

Then something amazing happened . . .

Ivan began to hum to lullaby.

I froze as I felt the tune vibrate through his body. He stumbled over a few measures but other than that, it was almost perfect. He continued to pet my hair and I slowly calmed down and I fell back asleep, but as I was drifting away I heard these three words.

"I love you, Matvey."

I love you too, Ivan.

~;~

_A/N: Well, here it is folks. I wrote this entire chapter while I was sick. I hope you all enjoyed and hopefully I'll be feeling better soon! I should get the next chapter done either this weekend or next weekend. See you all later!_

_Translations:_

_ мой дорогой=my darling_

_Attendez! Je peux vous expliquer! Ivan et moi sommes ensemble! S'il vous plaît essayer de comprendre et ne pas être un âne! S'il vous plaît = __Wait! I can explain! Ivan and I are together! Please try to understand and not be an ass! Please!_

_PS: Sorry for the inconvieniance! Terribly sorry for those who read before the edit!_

_REVIEW PLEASE!_

_c(^^c)_


	9. Chapter 9

"Come on Al!"

"For the bazillionth time Mattie, no!"

"Why not? Give me one reason!"

"What in the name of the Queen is going on?"

I turned furiously to see Arthur standing in the doorway of Alfred's dorm dressed in a crisp black suit and a red silk tie. "For some ungodly reason, he thinks that Ivan shouldn't join us for Christmas this year!" I cried as jabbing an accusing finger in Alfred's direction who was stretched out on the floor furiously punching the buttons on his game controller. He hit pause and slammed his controller down and yelled, "I don't see what you can't grasp here Mattie. You may enjoy chewing on his face, but I don't like looking at it and I'm pretty damn sure that's what you two lovebirds are going to be up to!" My cheeks flamed furiously and I opened my mouth to retort, but Iggy interjected.

"Will you two quit squabbeling about this like children!" He snapped irritably. "I honestly don't give a damn if he comes or not! Matthew, if you really want Ivan to join us, then go on ahead and invite him and stop this nonsense before I go insane!" Alfred and I glanced at each other after Iggy finished his rant and after a few moments of silence, Alfred grumbled in defeat and turned to his TV. Happiness and excitment filled me up to the brim and I leapt onto my brother, wrapping my arms around him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I babbled as smiling so wide it felt like it would split my face in half.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Alfred scoffed and prying me off of him. "But I do have one condition. Please keep the wishy washy, sappy, 'I love you', crap to a minimum when I am in the room. I might throw up." I rolled my eyes and messed up his hair gently. "Right back at you and Iggy though," I laughed as standing back up, smirking at their flushed faces. Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly and pushed the power button on Alfred's game system with the toe of his shoe which was followed with a little girl scream. "DUDE!" America shouted. "Dude! Do you have any idea of how long it took me to get pass thay zombie hoarde?" Iggy rolled his emerald eyes as Alfred blubbered on and on. "Oh spare me the drama and just get dressed already."

I chuckled and waved goodbye to them when I realized that Ivan would be returning soon from his job. When I closed the door behind me, I saw a giant form at the end of the hallway slinking toward me. I waved at it and all I got in response was a grunt. Frowning slightly, I approached it and the figure was soon proved to be Ivan stumbling down the hall looking half asleep. I fell into step with him amd we walked in a comfortable silence to our dorm. When we reached it, Ivan fumbled clumsily with the keys and I soon had to help him with the lock.

The moment the door opened, Ivan immediately began to strip off his security gaurd uniform and toss it aside onto the floor which I picked back up and threw into the dirty clothes basket. He groaned as he collasped onto his bed and buried his face into his pillow. I could sense that he was very tired and frustrated by how his shoulders were slumped slightly and how his lips were pressed into a thin line on his face. I sat down on the bed next to him and began to gently massage his shoukders and hum the lullaby.

I felt the stress leave his shoulders under my fingertips as I finished the soft song and hugged him awkwardly from behind. We sat in silence for a bit longer before Ivan shifted over onto his back to look at me and muttered, "I hate people." I smirked and grabbed his enormous hand and laced my spindly thin fingers between his manly thick ones. He smiled back at me and squeezed my hand slightly and kissed my knuckles. We stared at each other for a while, diving into another warm and fuzzy silence while occasionally exchanging sweet and innoncent kisses.

I finally broke the silence thay built between us, finally rememberung about Christmas. "How would like to join me and my family for Christmas?" I asked as laying back into his chest, for we were both sitting up now. The giant Russian before me seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, "Da, I would like to join you guys for Christmas. My sisters will understand...well Katyusha will, I'm not so sure about Natalia." I cringed slightly, remembering my first encounter with her about a week after the big revelation. Ivan and I had returned from a hard day at class and when we opened the door, Ivan was instantly attacked by a pretty girl about sixteen years old, demanding Ivan to marry her in a tone that would rival the girl's in The Exorcist. Then she saw me and threatened me with a knife before Ivan calmed her down (as much as she would with him around) and forced her off the campus. Not exactly a very favorable memory.

"Yeah, I really hope that she doesn't find out where I live though or else I might wake up to find my throat slit."

"That would not be good..."

"Uh, Ivan," I began in a bit of an awkward tone. "Cuba had invited us to a dorm party upstairs so maybe-"

"Nyet."

"But-"

"I'll answer you in Spanish."

"You remembered!"

"Da, get ready for this...no."

I looked at him in false incomprehension. "Oh wow! I didn't even know what you just said! Did Antonio teach you?" I said sarcastically as rolling my eyes. "Seriously, no. I'm too tired right now," He said firmly. "Oh come on! We haven't done anything fun in forever," I whined as shaking our clasped hands indignantly. Ivan pried his hand out of my grip and gently spun me around to face him. I had move out from his arms and sit on my heels to properly look at him. "That is not true! Remember? We made out in that one-"

"That's not what I meant!" I cried as burying my blushing face into his scarf. There was a stirring from my bunk above us as Kuma clambered down and stumbled onto Ivan's bed with us. He yawned widely and curled up in Ivan's lap before passing back out. I smirked and scratched Kuma's little round ears before sitting back on my heels. I looked up at my beloved Russian teddy bear with pleading eyes that I knew he couldn't resist and pushed my bottom lip out into a miserable pout. "Pwease?" I asked in a sweet whisper.

Ivan's eyebrow twitched and looked like he was having a heated debate inside his head. Soon enough later, he sighed in defeat and hauled himself out of bed. Ha! Victory! He is no match to my pouty face! I launched myself up and into his arms while kissing him full on the mouth. "Thank you! Thank you!" I cried excitedly as dancing toward the small dresser to pull out some nicer clothes than my worn red sweatshirt and ratty jeans. Ivan rolled his eyes and grumbled something under his breath as I shoved some of his clothes into his arms.

While he was in the bathroom changing, I changed into a light blue sweatshirt with Pikachu posing on the front and exchanged my tattered jeans for a black pair. I was lacing up my electric blue hightop converse when Ivan emerged from the bathroom wearing a black Russian rock band T-shirt that stretched slightly across his chest and darkwash jeans hung at his narrow hips. He fixed his scarf around his neck and stomped on his boots. We left the dorm when I finished combing my hair.

Cuba's dorm was at the topmost floor of the boy's dormitory and was at the end of the hallway on the left next to another door that led up onto the roof if you followed the steps up behind it. I was out of breath and about to kill myself by the time we reached the final flight of steps. You could hear the music pounding from the end of the hall in which we presently stood and it grew louder as we approached Cuba's dorm. Ivan pounded loudly on the door and after a few moments of wait, Cuba himself answered it.

He was dressed in his tacky flowery shirts and cargo shorts with a necklace of fake flowers placed around his neck. He held the door open for us with one hand and in the other he clutched a suspicious red cup. "Hey, Birdie and Mr. Jackass! About time you decided to show up!" We turned to see Gilbert dancing up toward us, clad in an "I am Awesome!" T-shirt and tattered low riding jeans. Ivan glared at him with obvious derision, but I ignored it and greeted Prussia.

"You should totally try this beer flavored ice cream Cuba made, Birdie!" I was about to politely decline, but my albino friend had already shoved the plastic bowl of ice cream into my hands. I glanced quizzically up at tge Russian beside me, be he was already busy glaring challengingly at Gil. I shrugged and took a small spoonful. It tasted worst than England's ass-flavored scones. It had a "lovely" blend of vomit and piss flavors and it made me want to gag. But of course, I just HAD to be polite and choke the rest down. After the sixth spoonful, it didn't bother as much and soon enough later I didn't give a damn. After I finished the bowl of ice cream, I was instantly dazzeled by the flashing strobe lights and the pulsating tempo of the music that spun around me.

I felt myself stumble and fall against someone who worriedly grumbled soemthing. I forced my head to tilt back and look up to see who it was. It was Ivan, six or seven of him. I chuckled slightly and hiccupped. "There'shh like-hic!-eight of you!" I slurred in a slap-happy stoner tone. I cackled at his adorable confused expression. "Matvey! Snap out of it!" He cried as shaking me, making my brain rattle slightly in my head. "You're not drunk Birdie! Alcohol can't freeze last time I checked!" Prussia shouted somewhere behind me. I stopped my drunken laughter and realized that I felt completely fine. It must've been the lights that made me go all slap happy, I thought as my cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

"Sorry," I whispered as pressing into Ivan's side. "Eh, it's okay," Gil said cooly with the wave of his deathly pale hand. His ruby gaze then glanced toward Ivan who had a possesive arm wrapped around me. "I bet I can drink more beer than you," He boasted with a concieted smirk on his face. Red-violet eyes rolled in their sockets. "What make you believe that?" Ivan growled as glowering down on Prussia. "You know, how about we test it out then! First one to puke loses," Prussia challenged as jabbing a finger in Ivan's face.

"Oh please," He scoffed. "I drink about four or five bottles of vodka a day without getting smashed. I think I can handle your stupid beer."

"I'll take that as a challenge accepted."

The two walked toward the keg and I couldn't help but follow since I had nothing else really to do. We sat there for about two or three hours simply talking while they both slammed on the beers. When Prussia got too drunk to talk to properly, I sat there and watched longingly at the other people slowdancing in the "dance floor". The floor was littered with empty bowls and cups and it took a whole bunch of self control to not freak and start cleaning it all up. The strobe lights were replaced with cheap battery powered lanterns that gave the room a soft and romantic glow. I listened to all of the slow love songs being played and couldn't help but sigh. I really wanted to drag Ivan out there and dance the night away but I didn't want to be rude and interupt this competition. It probably won't last much longer since Gil is starting to yodell and sing incoherently.

I ignore them and listened to the words of love being sung by some music group I've never heard of. I was so lost in the music that I didn't realize Ivan angerly standing up from his chair. I was snapped out of my fluffy reverie when Ivan started cursing rather loudly at the drunken Prussian across the table. Before I could do anything, Ivan launched himself across the table and threw Gilbert into the wall. He drew back his arm to give Gil a knuckle sandwich, but i was already on my feet and gripping his bicep, stopping him. "Enough!" I cried as pulling with all my strength to keep Ivan from hurting my friend.

His head snapped around toward me and I recoiled suddenly when I saw the look in his eye. Those red-violet eyes held nothing but anger and bloodlust. They seemed to have belonged to some rabid animal rather than a person like Russia. The look in his eyes was brief however, for they flickered back to the usual wide childlike innocence. He snarled some Russian vulgarities and left the dorm with the door slamming behind him. No one really noticed or cared cause either they were too drunk or busy with other things I would rather not wish to describe. I knelt down by Prussia and roughly dragged him back up into his chair. "What the hell did you say to royally piss him off," I snapped through gritted teeth. All I got in response was some kind of off key German drinking song.

I gave up on asking him anything else for he was too drunk at the moment and walked out in pursuit of Ivan. As I closed the door behind me, I noticed that the door to the stairwell leading up to the roof was hanging open and I hesitantly followed them up.

I soon came to another door that was too ajar and I shoved my hands into the front pocket of my hoodie for it was a bit cold. As I stepped out, I was taken aback about how high up I was. You could see all the way to the other side of the city from here. I was shaken from my awe by a bitter wind that chased all the warmth out from my body. My teeth chattered as I turned my to see Ivan hunched over precariously on the side of the roof with his legs dangling over the edge.

Cautiously, I slowly approached him and sat down beside him, gulping as I looked down into the traffic a long way down below from our perch. Ivan didn't seem bothered by cold even though he was only wearing a simple T-shirt. He was looking down at his hands as if he were in shame and his scarf flapped a bit sadly as the wind blew by. We sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the wind howl like an injured animal around us and the traffic below.

Ivan didn't look at me when he spoke finally. "You know how I said that I didn't remember most of my childhood?" I nodded, recalling him saying that about a month before. "Well, lately I've been having nightmares. Terrible nightmares so bad that I wake up in a cold sweat sometimes. The worst part about these is that they are actually memories..." He trailed off and curled his hands into fists. He slowly looked up at me with such sad eyes that it almost broke my heart.

"You don't have to tell me," I whispered as wrapping my arms around his middle. He sighed in what sounded like relief and gathered me up in those strong arms that will never let me go. I buried my face into his scarf, breathing in his wintery scent and listened to his steady heartbeat that pounded like a bass drum in my ears. He slowly began to rock us back and forth gently and drew small circles into my back. "I love you Matvey, you are my only friend and the most beautiful person I've ever known," He murmured in such a gentle voice it almost wasn't his.

That was the nicest and most romantic thing that anyone had said to me, ever. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I fisted up the fabric of his shirt in my hands. "I love you too Ivan," I choked s wiping furiously at my eyes, feeling incredibly stupid and corny for crying. Ivan's hand slowly brought itself up to my face and wiped the single tear away. I smiled slightly and gently pressed my lips against his.

The kiss wasn't a hungry, lustful, seeking kiss, but a simple, loving carress. We pulled away from each other a few blissful moments later and looked around us to see fat flakes of snow falling gently. I laughed and kissed Ivan again. I have never been so happy in my entire life nor have I been this much head over heels for someone. I truly love Ivan, more than anything else in the world.

Ivan's Head

He can still hear his sister's scream as that thing defiled them. He could taste the blood of innocent lives on his tongue as he stood on his throne of lost souls. He could smell the stench of death, fear and hopelessness. But, these did not last long for Matthew would always pull him away from the darkness.

Matthew meant a whole lot more to hin than anything else in the entire universe. He loved his maple-sweet scent, his soft blonde curls, and those wide, innocent indigo eyes that always glowed with warmth and kindness. Sometimes the demons in his head took over and whispered to him to do terrible and humiliating things to him. They filled him with torturous lust and raging anger toward him, but Ivan fought back ferociously.

He would never let those dark creatures touch his perfect angel.

Never.

A/N: Okay, I apologize for the ridiculously long wait. See, I kinda got into huge trouble and got banned from the internet. Kinda. But as you can see the story continues! :D Yay! I apologize also if there is any spelling mistakes or grammer issues and if the chapter is kinda meh. Also the end of the story is near my friends :( I am not for certain when I will get the next chapter up but hopefully soon :) Peace!

REVIEW PLEASE!


	10. Chapter 10

(Yay! I've finally reached the tenth chapter and it's FINALLY Christmas! Well...for them at least since Christmas was actually two months ago...anyway, lots of plotty stuff in here! Prepare to be amazed! *dramatic wave of hand*)

WARNING! There is going to be some sexual content due to France so yeah...

"...and finally, keep hands in sight at all times, in fact..." Alfred boldly grabbed Ivan by his wrists and pulled his arms straight up like you would if a cop came barging in demanding for you to put your hands up. Ivan glared contemptuosly at Alfred and put his arms back down at his sides. "Will you quit with your ridiculous rules and get your sorry arse in the car!" Iggy snapped impatiently from inside the ancient patriotic vehicle. Alfred rolled his eyes and slammed the trunk closed after giving Ivan and I an "I'm watching you" guesture. I made an exasperated sigh and took Ivan's enormous hand in mine and led him to the impossibly tiny seat behind the front seats. Ivan glanced at me as if he was saying "Are you kidding me?". I shrugged slightly and squeezed on inside the car, hugging my red under-armor duffel bag and Kumasua so there was possibly enough room for Ivan.

He looked like he devising a strategy for he shifted experimentially a few times. "Hurry up already! I'm freezing my jingle bells off!" Al cried impaitiently. Ivan smiled humorously. "Yours jingle?" I snorted and tried to hold back a laugh at the flushed look on my brother's face, but I ultimately failed and cracked up. Even Arthur chuckled. Ivan smiled smugly as he squeezed himself inside the backseat feet first. He then curled himself awkwardly so he could could actually fit inside the cramped interior and he slammed his door closed and leaned his head and shoulder against it. Ivan's massive leg was curled up in my lap and his other foot was behind my head. It was a very awkward position since I was pratically wedged right between his legs, dangerously close to yet to be explored territory. I blushed furiously and Ivan reflected it slightly and muttered a low apology.

Alfred glared at us venomously and shockingly didn't say anything snide. He simply turned back around and cranked up the radio. Ivan winced slightly as Ke$ha pumped through the speakers and Alfred continued to screech along. I pulled out my iPod and offered an earbud to him who gratefully accepted. We listened to some Apocolyptica, Lady GaGa, and Nickelback during our trip, making it much more bearable but a bit more awkward if it were even possible. Most of the songs I had were either very suggestive or lovey dovey. I skipped over most of them and mainly stuck to the rip-your-guts-out-with-a-spork rock. Ivan didn't seem to mind.

Before I knew it, the car was parked in the driveway of our modest suburban home that was slightly decorated with a few lights outlining the windows and doorway. It took a complex process and lots of butter (not really butter, I'm just kidding...it was a gallon of oil) to get Ivan out from the backseat. When we were all out and situated, we took our stuff into our house. It hadn't changed much really, except for the Christmas decorations scattered about and the fact that it was actually clean rather than a pit of chaos like it was before we left for college.

"Welcome to our humble abode," I said as sweeping an arm, guesturing to the main room. Ivan smirked slightly and took off his boots and coat when I told him to make himself at home. We stood awkwardly for a moment, feeling Alfred's eyes watching us suspiciously. We stood there for a while for I couldn't think of anything really to say or do, worried that I might throw Alfred right off his rocker. I glanced over toward my brother who glowered at us, as if he expected us to throw off our clothes and start spooning on the floor or something. Arthur then appeared behind Alfred and smacked him on the head scoldingly with a wooden spoon. Alfred yelped and rubbed a forming lump on his head as Arthur hissed something to him and drug him out of sight. I realized that I was holding my breath for some reason and I exhaled deeply as if it were a sigh of relief. I then took Ivan's hand and led him down the hall in front of us to my room. I kicked the door open to see that room was still that same as I left it. The hockey posters were still there and my nation's flag was still tacked up on the same slight slant of drywall above my bed.

"This is obviously my room as you can see," I muttered as Kuma squirmed in my arms, trying to get down. When I straightened back up from gently setting the cub down, Ivan was centimeters away from me. "I like your house," Ivan grumbled in his gruff voice. "It's warm and welcoming." I smiled and slid my hands up over his broad chest and laced my fingers around the back of his neck as his arms coiled around me. "Why wouldn't it be?" I asked as leaning my head against his chest, listening to the comforting thump of his heart. He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I don't know...I guess I really never been inside a real home before." Confusion made my brow crease and I looked up to see his face clearly. "What do you mean?"

My question was ignored and suddenly my TV was utterly facinating to Ivan. He left my arms and crouched down to the drawer in the entertainment center the held my movies. I knelt down beside him to see what he was discovering in my collection of films. He soon found something I was worried he would find. "Are you serious Matvey?" He was holding the entire Twilight saga in his hand. I snatched the DVDs from his hand and hid them behind my back. "Alfred's idea..." was my brilliant, well thought out excuse. I can explain. The only reason I have read the books and seen the movies so that I can be an ass hat and point out all the flaws and utter cheesiness of the whole thing. It annoys the crap out of Alfred when I critisize it because he has a thing for Jacob Black/Taylor Lautner.

Ivan shook his head disapprovingly and continued to trifle through my movie drawer. Ivan continued to tease me at some of the movies I owned until Alfred interupted by rudely barging in without knocking. He was wearing a Santa hat and was chomping on two candy canes he probably scavenged off the tree while England wasn't looking. "Mattie," He garbled around the candy canes. "You might want to get in there before Iggy blows up the oven with his shitty cookies again." Ivan raised an eyebrow at me while I sighed slightly. Of course I had to take over the baking for niether America or England were capable of handling a spoon without making the batter somehow burst in flames. Trust me, it's possible and it has happened before.

I stood back up to my feet and walked out to the kitchen (closely followed by Ivan of course) where England was crouched over a thick cook book, scratching his head with the end of the spoon. He had something black and charred on a plate next to him and I swear to God it moved. "Trying to make cookies again Arthur?" I asked lightly, trying not to stare at the burnt lump that twitched again. Arthur made a frustrated noise and violently threw his spoon down on the floor with a loud clatter before storming out of the room. "He's in a spectacular mood is he not?" Ivan sarcastically rumbled from behind me when he stormed off. I chuckled slightly as I threw the thing the was the result of England's cooking into the garbage can after stabbing it a few times to make sure it was dead. I turned back to see Ivan looking down at the page England was turned to. "Why does he have a recipe for tacos out if he wanted to make cookies?"

I shrugged as shooing him away from the book and leafed through the pages searching for my favorite cookie recipe: maple cookies. "It goes to show how challenged Arthur is when it comes to cooking," I simply said as finding the directions for the maple delights. Ivan looked over my shoulder at the ingredients and immediately began to hunt around in the cabinets for them while I preheated the oven and collected the necessary utensils. We met up at the granite island with our findings and began to make the russet brown cookie dough. We had a few fights with the flour, making an enormous mess on the floor that Iggy would not appreciate at all. We also wrestled a bit playfully when Ivan tried and succeeded to steal a bit of the cookie dough while I was scooping it out on a cookie sheet.

While the batches of cookies were in the oven, we cleaned up our flour mess and washed and put away the dishes we used. It took a few hours for all of the cookies to be baked for we could only fit eight cookies in the oven at a time, so we basically joked around and had a little game of chase around the kitchen, which I do not recomend for we almost smashed the toaster. Once all the cookies were done and baked, we sat down on the couch for a while watching a Christmas rerun of The Big Bang Theory where Sheldon was freaking out about Penny getting him a present. That was when a rapping, tapping sounded from my chamber door ((A/N: Sorry about that...I couldn't resist the distorted Edgar Allen Poe reference...I really am a nerd)).

Confused, I got up from the couch and opened the door to see a very familiar man standing at our doorstep. The man had gorgous shoulder length blond hair and lovey dovey royal blue eyes. He was dressed in a form fitting blue jacket and red pants tucked into shiny knee high designer boots. He had a scruffy beard on his chin and his face was rather handsome. A wide smile appeared on the man's face and he cried with delight as showering my face with overly friendly kisses. "Matthew, mon cher! It's been so long since your big brother France had seen you! Look how tall and sexy you are! I bet you attract a lot of beautiful women! Tell me, are you still a virgin?"

I gaped at the man who claimed to be France and my big brother. Could he really be that person who sang that lullaby to me so long ago? When I looked at him a bit closer I did recognize him to be that particular person who took me in. Why hadn't I met him before? How did I end up in the care of England? "I see that you arrived Frog," Iggy's voice sneered from behind me. France pouted slightly like he had been hurt by Arthur's bitterness. "Aren't you happy to see me, mon cher?" He whimpered as moving toward my elder brother as if he were to hug him. England swatted him away as if he were a bothersome fly. "Shut up, you wine sucking ninny. Let's go to another room so we can discuss..." He trailed off and glanced from him to me awkwardly.

"Let's not get into a rush now, mon cher," France said with a wave of his hand. "We'll get to that after I catch up with Matthew." France then turned to me and pulled me into the living room, babbling random and very disturbing not to mention VERY personal questions the entire way. He then saw Russia lounged on the couch watching Sheldon irritate the daylights out of Raj and Howard. "Who's this?" He asked. I felt my face heat up as Ivan snapped his head around to glare at the flamboyant visitor. "Uh, Ivan, this is my...big brother I guess, France. France, this is Ivan, my...uh..." I trailed off as I felt my cheeks pratically burst into flames. France seemed to understand what I was trying to say. "Boyfriend?" He said with an enthusiasm I hadn't expected. "So you don't swing toward girls after all? I should've known. He is quite cute. Has he popped your cherry yet?" He waggled his golden eyebrows suggestively as I intelligently stuttered in embarrassment. Ivan's face was just a red as mine, but not neccessarily for the same reason as me. "You poor dear Matthew," France cooed, not waiting for an objection from me. "It must have been painful, assuming that his-"

"No! We haven't done anything like that!" I interjected while my face flushed as red as the ornaments on the tree. Before France could say anymore perverted things, Alfred walked in gobbling the cookies Ivan and I made earlier and gulped down an absurdly large mug of ridiculously chocolately hot cocoa. "What's going on in here? I heard Mattie shout something about 'not doing anything like that'." He said around four whole cookies he crammed into his mouth. "Bon jour America!" France cried as throwing himself at Alfred who desperately tried to escape the embrace but failed. While he was distracted by Alfred, I sat down next to Ivan on the couch. "Sorry about that, I didn't know that he would be so...yeah..." I muttered awkwardly as hugging him. "It's fine," Ivan growled as glaring at the Frenchman who now harrassed the American with embarrassing and intrusive questions.

The hours dragged by as I soon got to know more about my new found big brother. He babbled constantly about his home and how beautiful and romantic it is there. He is also, obviously, very, very perverted and air headed when it came to logic. Yet he is pratically an expert on STDs and other gross things that I've could've gone my entire life without knowing. Besides those disturbing contributing factors, he was okay to be around. When the clock hit around ten, Alfred suggested that we should watch a horror movie or play some gory videogame which Ivan reluctantly agreed to. We ended up playing Mario Kart instead of watching the rest of a slasher movie Alfred picked out because Al was screaming like a little girl within the first ten minutes of the movie. I didn't mind playing GameCube because that movie sucked anyway.

After my second victory in Sherbert Land, I excused myself to get something to drink. When I passed by Iggy's room, I heard him and Francis talking. Curious, I paused and pricked my ears outside the closed door.

"You promised Frog. Tell me or I will rip those greasy whiskers right off your chin!" Arthur snarled.

"I know, I know..." France sighed, sounding uncharacteristically tired.

Silence.

"The reason I gave Matthew to you is a long story," Francis began finally.

"I loved that child since the day I found that poor boy in the snow. A delightful child he was. Matthew was so charming and cute as a child that even I couldn't resist..." France sounded slightly guilty toward the end where trailed off.

"What do you mean Fr - no. Oh no, please tell me you didn't-"

"Non, I admit that I had very wrong feelings for the child when he grew a bit older, but I swear that I did nothing to Matthew." France's voice was raw and bitter. "I would never forgive myself if I had given in to my desires and that was precisely the reason why I gave him to you mon cher Arthur."

I was frozen where I was standing, shocked. How-why-what? My mind was thrown into a tailspin as stood completely flabbergasted of what I had just heard. It all made sense now. Long forgotten memories were now running through my confused and tangled thoughts. Pictures of France smiling and laughing down at me as I made a wild grab for the scruffy hairs of his beard, curious of what it would feel like. More happy memories flashed by but was instantly darkened when I remembered the last time I ever saw him until now. He looked very grim and tired as he laid me down on a cold doorstep and tucked a letter inside my plush blanket that swaddled Kuma and I.

Without thinking, I opened the door and threw myself at an ashamed Frenchman perched on the corner of England's bed. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him as hard as I could. For some reason, I started sobbing into France's blue jacket and I felt his hands pat my back comfortingly. Little did I know, France's hands began to head south toward strictly forbidden territory and I didn't realize it until I heard Ivan shout something vulgar from behind and wrenched me away from France's arms. He flung me back against the wall and continued to grab the Frenchman's collar. "Don't you EVER touch him again you bastard!" He spat in France's surprisingly grim face. He looked over at me with tortured blue eyes and he looked like a withered rose. Drained and fragile. "I'm sorry Matthew, please, even though I do not deserve it at all, forgive me."

That made Ivan even more angrier and he slammed the Frenchman down on the floor and was about to strike Francis across the face when I screamed, "STOP!" Ivan paused for a moment and looked up at me with an expression of pure malevolence. "What is that matter with you Ivan?" I snapped as approaching him threateningly. "He apologized! Let him go!" I was begging now, tears still running down my face.

"No," France said as shaking his tired blond head. "I deserve it Matthew. I deserve to be beaten to a pulp." Ivan looked confused for a moment, not sure if he should listen to me an let him go or go on ahead and beat the crap out of France. After a few moments of confused silence, he made an angry roar and ran from the room and apparently went on outside for I heard the door slam angerly. I quickly forgot about France, worried about Ivan for I've never seen him get this angry before. I ran after him, wondering bitterly what the hell his problem was.

((Well, that was kind of sketchy, but I think you guys will be satisfied with the plottiness though :) Please don't flame me about making France a sicko pedophile because I couldn't come up with anything really else and it seemed to kind of fit him (no offense to France or anything). Anyway, the next chapter should be the end my friends :())

REVIEW PLEASE! 8D


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